


Saved (Dream x Reader)

by dreamsrighthand



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Controlling, DreamTeam, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I'll add more tags later, Major Character Injury, Physical Abuse, Shameless Smut, Slowish burn?, Smut, abusive bf (not dream), dream is obviously a leo, im so bad at tags but here we go, shit goes down in later chapters, this story is majorly happy i swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-24 19:14:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 114,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30077055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsrighthand/pseuds/dreamsrighthand
Summary: A popular female youtuber who's never shown her face gets raided during a twitch stream by another well known youtuber who's never shown his face. She may not know it yet, but this little encounter changes Y/n's life forever.
Relationships: Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF)/Reader, Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF)/You, Clay | Dream/Reader
Comments: 37
Kudos: 201





	1. Dreamwastaken?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, just an fyi Wattpad readers see new chapters first.  
> Don't steal my work, I'll break you in half  
> My Wattpad is -abbieeee- if you didn't come from there already

_Vrr. Vrr. Vrr._ I groan, rolling over in my bed and covering my head with my blanket, attempting to block out the annoying noise. Maybe if I ignore it long enough it'll stop and let me sleep.  
_Vrr. Vrr. Vrr_. Nope. The buzzing and ringing continues to loudly go off.  
  
"Ugh!" I groan, rolling back over in my bed and grabbing my phone from my bedside table. Yawning, I tiredly rub my eyes before squinting at my phone screen, looking at the time and the name of the alarm going off.  
  
**10:30 am Get up hoe! You gotta stream!**  
  
My eyes widen as I quickly sit up, the blanket falling. _It's already 10:30?! Why am I so tired?_  
Oh- I chuckle lightly. That's right I was up late recording a video for my channel.  
I have to give some kind of content to my 3 million hungry viewers. From a lot of their tweets, you'd think I leave them starving for my content for months, but I post a couple times a month, and I stream almost every other day.  
  
I love being a streamer and youtuber, but damn, it takes up almost all my time! But it's not like I even do much all day, when I'm not streaming or recording, I'm scrolling through my social media or watching Netflix. It's not like I have anyone to hang out with either.  
  
I moved to Georgia from California for college and freedom, leaving behind the small amount of family and friends I had. About a year after I left and got my new and current boyfriend, I lost contact with my old friends. And I've never even had a stable relationship with my mother, especially after my father died when I was eight. Once he passed, my mother began ignoring me and started doing heavy drugs, wasting her life as I waited for my eighteenth birthday so I could finally leave that hell hole.  
  
I shake my head, pushing those thoughts away as I get out of bed. I head down the small set of stairs in the apartment I share with my boyfriend, and make my way to the kitchen. I pour myself a bowl of cereal before sitting at the table and pulling up Twitter on my phone.  
  
I scroll through the tweets I've been mentioned in, a lot of them fan art or people wearing my merch. I grin, liking and retweeting the majority of them.  
I take a bite of my food, noticing it's 10:45 and deciding I should probably tweet that I'll be starting my stream soon.  
  
  
**bonez** @:HolyBonez  
streaming in 15 minutes ! Be there or be square 😌  
  
  
I tweet that out and finish my cereal, grabbing a water bottle before heading up to the extra room I use for my gaming set up. I sigh, sitting down on my very comfy chair, spinning around before stopping myself in front of my computer screen.  
  
There are a couple things my viewers don't know about me; my real name, my age, where I'm from, that I have a boyfriend, and what I look like. So actually, they know nothing about me, besides that I'm a girl. As of now, I like my privacy and I don't want people knowing about everything in my life.  
  
I boot up my computer, setting up Minecraft on one screen, and my twitch stream on the other. I start my stream then go to Twitter to announce that my stream has started, putting the Twitch link with it.  
  
  
**bonez** @:HolyBonez  
Speed Run Record? This time I swear guys...  
  
  
As soon as I tweet that out, my viewers quickly begin to pour in. I wait on the title screen for a minute before starting.  
  
"Hey guys!" I smile, even though they can't see me. "I know this is like my fourth time trying for the record this week, but I really feel it this time!"  
  
I end up going through a bunch of worlds I've decided won't get me the speed run record before finally choosing one, starting my timer as I take off.  
  
After about seven and a half minutes, I make it into the nether, quickly finding the nether fortress and blaze spawner. I gather seven blaze rods and quickly leave the spawner, running through the fortress back to my portal.  
  
I smirk triumphantly as my portal comes into view. _Too easy._  
  
Suddenly, one of my stream notifications goes off, gaining my attention for a split second and telling me that I've just been raided by 'dreamwastaken'. I try to continue, but that one second distraction was all it took for a ghast to knock me off the skinny netherrack bridge I was crossing, throwing me down into the lake of lava below.  
  
"Shit!" I exclaim before quickly correcting my language. I let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing my face as my character finally burns to a crisp, the death screen popping up mockingly.  
  
"How did I go out like that?" I groan, going back to Minecraft's main menu.  
  
I look over at my Twitch chat as it goes crazy, everyone spamming "dream!" or "p1ssbaby!" in the chat.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you guys right now?" I ask, scrolling through a couple donations before getting to the notification that said dreamwastaken raided my stream. _25k viewers?_   
  
I look back at the chat, trying to read some of the messages as they quickly pass by. But a lot of them were telling me to check his Twitter and see what he just tweeted.  
  
"Okay, okay!" I tell my stream, trying to calm them down. "I'll go check it out."  
  
I decide to do it and look this guy up, seeing a new tweet from his second account about thirty seconds ago.  
  
  
**dream2** @:dreamwastaken2  
just raided some girls twitch stream, might've messed up her speed run though. oops.  
  
  
I frown, I know the raid meant no harm, and was actually extremely nice of him, but that Twitter post... I decide to reply to his post.  
  
  
|  
**bonez** @:HolyBonez  
rude, i was doing so good too >:/  
  
  
I turn back to my stream. "Okay guys, sorry I lied. This most definitely wasn't the day I'd be getting a speed running record. I'll be playing a little bit of bedwars before I end the stream. I need at least some kind of win today."  
  
I head onto a server and start up a bedwars game, looking at my chat as I wait for the game to start. The amount of viewers has gone down, but not by much.  
  
I chuckle as the majority of my chat spams the letter L. "Thanks guys. Don't worry, I'll get a win right here."  
  
After playing bedwars for thirty minutes, winning nine out of the ten games I played, I finally end the stream.  
  
I lie on my bed, getting back on Twitter and noticing Dream liked and replied to my tweet about twenty five minutes ago.  
  
  
|  
**dream2** @:dreamwastaken2  
i know, you probably would've beaten my speed running record too  
  
  
I gasp. This guy has the speed running record?  
  
  
|  
**bonez** @:HolyBonez  
*gasp* apologize right now  
  
|  
**dream2** @:dreamwastaken2 no. i don't think i will >:)  
  
  
I glare at my screen. I'm about to reply when I suddenly get two notifications and then a dm. The notifications say that, "dream2 followed you" and "Dream followed you".  
That was quick. I follow him back on both accounts before checking my dm. And who would've guessed? I've got one unopened dm from dream2.  
  
  
**dream2**  
hi.  
  
  
I furrow my brows in confusion at the random text. I thought we were just "arguing"? Obviously it wasn't really arguing though.  
  
  
**bonez**  
hi?  
  
**dream2**  
you did really well on that speed run  
  
**bonez**  
you mean before you messed me up?  
  
**dream2**  
maybe...  
  
**bonez**  
you should apologize, that was one of my best times and you ruined it :,(  
  
**dream2**  
okay, okay. i'm very sorry for ruining your speed run. can you please forgive me :(  
  
  
I smile at Dream's message on my screen. This guy definitely isn't as bad as I thought he was.  
  
  
**bonez**  
okay, i'll forgive you :) i just have to do one thing, brb  
  
  
I quickly take a screenshot of his apology so I don't lose it and swipe out of my dms and go to make a tweet.  
  
  
**bonez** @:HolyBonez  
everything's okay, let it be known here that, @:dreamwastaken has sent me an official apology :)  
  
  
Before I can even go back to my dms so I can continue messaging him, he responds to my tweet.  
  
  
|  
**dream2** @:dreamwastaken2  
they weren't supposed to know i dmed a girl  
  
|  
**bonez** @:HolyBonez  
just exposed some boy on Twitter, might've messed up his image. oops. >:) sound familiar dream?  
  
|  
**dream2** @:dreamwastaken2  
fine, i'll let you win this one. but definitely not next time  
  
  
I laugh, watching as likes, comments, and retweets start popping up in my notifications. _Wow, they're really eating this up huh?_  
  
I suddenly get a new message from Dream.  
  
  
**dream2**  
thanks for exposing me like that...  
  
**bonez**  
of course ;)  
  
**dream2**  
but in all seriousness, i think you're really damn good at minecraft  
  
**bonez**  
thank you dream :)  
  
**dream2**  
we should play bedwars or something sometime. i mean, if you'd want to  
  
**bonez**  
yeah, i'd like that  
  
**dream2**  
tomorrow? and we could stream together  
  
**bonez**  
i cant wait :)) it would be my first time streaming with someone  
  
**dream2**  
sweet, i'm glad it's with me  
i'll send you my discord tomorrow and we can hop on after that.  
  
**bonez**  
okay, talk to you tomorrow then. bye :)  
  
**dream2**  
bye :)  
  
  
I smile at my phone screen, staring at the smiley face he sent. I power my phone off and lay it on my chest, staring up at the ceiling with a stupid smile on my face. What can I say? I'm very excited for tomorrow. I've never streamed with someone else, I've always played on my own because my boyfriend doesn't approve of me playing with any other people.  
  
Today's stream changed everything, I can feel it. And I'm positive this time. I'll actually be getting a new friend, and he even plays Minecraft! For a living!  
  
The only catch is that Dream's a guy. And if my boyfriend finds out about him, he'll surely get very angry. Just like he always used to. I would never cheat on him, he's been there for so long, but he's made it very clear that I'm not allowed to talk or text with any guys, at all. So I just need to make sure he doesn't find out about Dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the chapters get longer later on


	2. Streaming Together

_So I just need to make sure he doesn't find out about Dream._

____________________

I was excited after yesterday's messages with Dream. For some reason I couldn't wipe the grin off my face for hours after, eventually having to act as if nothing new or exciting happened once Dylan got back home. He's always gone when I wake up in the morning, and he gets back at around seven, expecting food to be made so he can go to bed right after.

And keeping Dream a secret should be easy since he doesn't bother to actually sit and talk with me, or check my phone.

After planning a stream together with Dream for today, I could hardly sleep. But I did it, I finally went to bed at two and slept in until twelve.

I groggily sat up in bed, looking to the right and seeing a cold empty spot, just like always.

My phone buzzing on my nightstand catches my attention. I grab it and unlock it with face ID, the notifications showing up on my lock screen. Theres too many Twitter notifications to count and a couple Instagram ones, only because I'm rarely on that app.

I open my phone and click on Twitter, noticing multiple messages from Dream. I quickly open and read all of them.

 **  
dream2**  
good morning :)  
you up yet?  
  


I smile at the two messages that were sent about an hour ago, but the other ones are from sixteen minutes ago.

 **  
dream2**  
damn, and I thought I slept in  
are you dead?  
im just messing, hopefully you're not :,(

  
My eyes widen, and I quickly reply to him.

 **  
bonez**  
hey! im so sorry, I could hardly sleep last night!

  
I send my message, and a read receipt immediately shows up below my text, before he starts typing again. _Wow he's quick._

 **  
dream2**  
that excited to talk with me, huh?

 **bonez**  
is that weird?  
im sorry

 **dream2**  
no no, I think its cute  
Ive been excited too :)

  
I read his message and feel my cheeks heat up, the grin from yesterday spreading across my face again. How does someone I've literally never met, and only been texting for barely a day, make me feel happier than anyone else in my life. I feel like I'm actually being noticed, with the raid and now he wants to stream together, and lemme tell you, it feels nice.

I notice I've left him on read for a minute, and quickly respond.

 **  
bonez**  
I can't wait!  
do you want to send me your discord now, then we can call after I get ready

 **dream2**  
or I can send it, then we can talk while u get ready?  
like, talk about what we'll do or something

 **bonez**  
sounds good

  
I wait patiently, and soon enough Dream sends his discord. I get on the app and add him, he adds me back before calling me. I nervously stare at my phone before joining the call, the two of us stay silent for a couple seconds, both of us obviously nervous to be the first to start the conversation.

"Hi." Dream finally says, awkwardly beginning our conversation. I didn't get time to watch his videos or past streams, so this is the first time I'm hearing his voice. It's kinda deep, and I can tell just by the way he said 'hi', that he's smiling on the other end of the call.

"Hey." I smile, even though he can't see. I get up out of bed, bringing my phone with me.

"It's good to hear your voice, even though I already heard it in your stream yesterday." he tells me, chuckling slightly.

I laugh at his words, walking towards my bathroom. "And it's nice to hear yours too Dream."

I set my phone down on the countertop, putting my airpods in so I'll be able to hear him better. He doesn't respond for a moment so I decide I could brush my teeth really fast. I did tell him I'd be getting ready for the day, so he shouldn't mind.

"Are you brushing your teeth right now?" Dream asks, confused by the sound coming from my end of the call.

I stop brushing, tilting my head back to talk so I don't accidentally spit the toothpaste out onto the counter while speaking. "Duh. It's called hygiene, have you heard of it."

"Well, yeah. Obviously I've heard of hygiene." he scoffs, I can almost see him rolling his eyes. Well, whatever image of Dream my head comes up with. Which it's currently some random boy, sitting in front of a gaming computer with his arms crossed.

I spit my toothpaste into the sink. "Really? Because I can smell your breath from the other side of this phone." I tease.

"Can you smell this?" he asks before breathing loudly right into the microphone, causing me to wince from the volume of his harsh breathing. I wait for him to finish, but once his lungs run out of air he just takes a big breath before starting back up again.

"Okay! Okay!" I shout, trying and failing to hold back my laughter. "I was kidding. I'm sure your breath smells fresh."

He finally stops, most likely satisfied by getting on my nerves. "It does, you're really missing out."

I roll my eyes, beginning to brush out my knotted hair. "Sure." I say sarcastically, dragging out the word.

We continue to just talk on the phone about random things for about an hour, allowing the both of us to eat breakfast, and for me to get changed. After that, we finally begin to talk about Minecraft and the stream.

"Okay, I think we shouldn't say what's happening on our streams, but we'll both post our stream announcement on Twitter." Dream plans as both of us get everything set up.

"So, we'll be starting our streams at the exact same time." I say, more as a statement than a question.

"Exactly." he confirms, most likely nodding his head in agreement. "They'll never expect us to stream together, so we'll surprise them. But we'll mute each other at the beginning, then message once we're ready to unmute and surprise the viewers."

"Got it. Do you have your tweet ready?" I ask, already finished with my simply written tweet. I hover my mouse over the tweet button as I wait for Dream.

"Wait, wait. I'm not done." I hear him quickly type on his keyboard before it goes quiet. "Okay. Ready? Tweet and start!"

I click the tweet button a second after Dream says to, sending my tweet and Twitch link out to all my fans on Twitter. 

**  
bonez**  
Streaming!

  
I immediately start getting likes, comments, and retweets, and people begin to join my stream.

I quickly mute myself on the discord call before talking to my stream, and I'm guessing Dream does the same because I can't hear him talking at all.

I wait a minute before finally starting. "Hey guys! I'm back!"  
I look at the Twitch chat as they all spam hello and hi like they normally do, but I do see a couple people asking me why I'm streaming two days in a row, and that me and Dream both started streaming at the exact same time. _Damn, some of them catch on quickly._

I decide to answer one of their questions for the time being.

"So, I see some of you are asking why I'm streaming two days in a row." I start, causing everyone else in the chat to realize how odd it is for me to do so. "We'll, I'm streaming today because I have a surprise for you guys!"

The chat suddenly, starts demanding to know, wanting answers immediately. "Hold on guys, I gotta get it."  
Everyone then starts asking if I'm going to be doing a face reveal. "And no. It's not my face. You guys will have to wait for that." I quickly add after reading those comments.

I go to message Dream in discord, telling him that he can unmute his mic now. I wait for him to reply and tell me I can do the same, and after a couple seconds he tells me its time. I unmute my mic and he does the same.

Before I can even speak to his stream, he decides to shout at mine. "Hey Bonez's stream! Guess who!"

My chat immediately starts going crazy after hearing Dream's voice. They spam his name in chat, a couple people saying they knew this was going to be the surprise.  
I realize that I hadn't said anything to Dream's stream yet.

"Oh yeah, hey Dream's stream!" I loudly exclaim, though definitely not as loud as Dream had done to mine. I wouldn't want to lose my voice.

"This is the surprise guys!" Dream happily announces. "Me and Bonez are just going to be playing some Minecraft together."

I look at the chat to see everyone's reactions. The majority of them can't contain their excitement, continuously spamming the chat. But some of them make comments about how we started streaming right as their lunch breaks finished, and that now they have to go back to work. And a few comment how it's currently one am where they live and they need their sleep.

"Sorry about the stream time guys!" I apologize, feeling bad that some of them are unable to watch, even though they want to. "If you need to sleep, or go back to work, please do! It's just a stream with Dream-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Dream interrupts me. "Just a stream with Dream? I'll have you know I am very popular, you should be honored that I'm playing with you."

I scoff, unable to hold back a sarcastic laugh. "As if, Dream. I currently have three million subscribers on Youtube, and twenty thousand people watching. Top that green boy."

"You really haven't done any research on me, huh? Alrighty then." Dream says, sounding surprised and very confident. "I currently have seven million subscribers on Youtube, and fifty thousand people on my stream."

"What?!" I exclaim. How could I have not known about him when he has seven million subscribers, he must be one of the most popular Minecraft channels right now. "How in the hell have I not heard about you until yesterday?!"

"I'm actually surprised about that myself." Dream laughs. "I am the quickest growing channel right now. I've gained over three million subs on Youtube in the past three months."

I stare at my screen, completely confused and speechless. All my viewers can currently see is the Minecraft title screen as it spins around the updated nether, but if they could see my confused and shocked expression right now, I'm sure they'd be laughing.

"So," Dream starts, a smirk obviously plastered on his face. "Are you feeling honored yet?"

"As if I'd say yes and boost your ego even larger than it already is, Mr. Seven million subs on Youtube." I pout, crossing my arms and leaning back in my chair.

"Aw, okay. But just to let you know, I feel very honored to be playing Minecraft with you right now." Dream tells me, not one ounce of sarcasm in his voice.

I playfully roll my eyes, somewhat believing him. "Your just saying that to make yourself seem humble and pure, and me the bad guy."

"No!" Dream says quickly, wanting me to know that everything he said is all true. "I'm genuinely honored. You've _never_ streamed with anyone else after years of being a streamer, and after one raid and dm, which I'm sure you've gotten many before me, you accept my invite to play Minecraft. Ending your streak of streaming alone."

I stay silent, actually beginning to understand what he's saying, and how right he is. I did get tons of dms from other streamers in the past, almost all of them asking if we could stream together. But I've quickly declined and deleted every single one of them, in fear that my boyfriend will see and get mad. I've done that to every single one, except Dreams.

"Out of all the invites you've most likely gotten to collab and stream with others, you picked mine. And since you obviously didn't know how large my following was, it wasn't even because of how popular I am." Dream adds, pure joy and respect in his voice as he preaches about you. "I just have to know one thing before we actually start our stream."

"What is that?" I ask, completely unsure of any question he'll shoot at me.

"Out of every single message. What made you choose mine?"

I stay silent, actually unsure of why I even dared to tweet a reply and message back and forth with Dream. My boyfriend could've easily found out and hurt me again. Why did I take such a risk, just to talk with this guy. What was it about him that made me feel like i needed to respond to his initial tweet. The one about raiding my stream.  
I clear my throat after a long minute of silence on the stream, my answer in my head.  
"It was that first tweet you made after you raided my stream. I've been raided many times before, but I guess it was your tweet right after. It made me laugh, which is something I actually don't do that often."

Dream stays silent, soaking up what I had just told him. How could he have that impact on you?  
"But, I've heard you laugh on your streams and even during our call earlier. What's so different about off camera, and off the call?" he asks, confused.

I chuckle quietly, shaking my head, even though nobody can see. "That's something I guess I'll eventually tell you. But not today. Let's just play some Minecraft."

____________________

  
We ended up playing bedwars for about two hours, winning more than half of the games we played, before eventually switching to mini games for about an hour. We messed around on those games, not really trying to win as much as we were while playing bedwars. We soon got tired of the mini games and switch back to dominating at bedwars.

And after about another hour, I heard the front door open and slam shut, my eyes widening as I realize my boyfriend had just gotten him from work and I didn't make anything to eat. _He's going to be pissed._

"What was that?" Dream worriedly asks, panicking after hearing my front door slam shut.

"Oh uh, it was nothing. But I really have to go, right now." I quickly mutter, trying to get out of the game as quickly as possible. I say goodbye to my stream and turn it off, getting out of Minecraft.

"Bonez, what's going on? Why are you rushing to leave?" Dream panics. "Is something wrong? Tell me what's going on!"

I hear angry footsteps quickly heading up the small set of stairs, and I can tell Dream heard it too because he starts panicking again. I can only pray that he turned his stream off, or at least muted himself.

"Dream, I _really_ have to go. I'll message you later, I promise." I hurriedly tell him.

Not even waiting for him to answer, I leave the voice call and close Discord, leaving no evidence that I was talking with someone, just as Dylan storms into the room.

"What the fuck have you been doing?!" he angrily shouts.

I flinch at his tone. "I've been streaming." I mumble quietly.

"Why did you decide to not make me anything to eat?!" he shouts, angrily walking towards me. "You know damn well how tired I am after work, which pays for where you are living! Do you really think I want to make food for myself too?!"

"No." I mutter. "I'm sorry, I just lost track of time."

I suddenly feel a burning sensation on my left cheek and my face snaps to the right. My eyes widen, and tears instantly begin to fall down my cheeks. I shakily lift my hand to place on my stinging check, hoping to sooth the pain after he'd just slapped me.

"I know damn well you've done nothing useful today!" he continues, roughly grabbing the jacket I'm wearing and tugging at the material, throwing me down to the ground. "You're so worthless! You better be glad you have me to fucking baby you, because you better be sure as hell no one else will!"

He gives me a few solid punches, almost all of them hitting my arms as I use them the try and block the blows, before he throws one last hard kick right to my stomach. I curl over, grabbing my stomach as my breath leaves my lungs.

He stands back, watching my curled up body as I attempt to catch my breath. He gives me one last glare, walking back to the door before stopping in the doorway. "I'm going to bed. Don't make me dinner, and don't even think about getting in bed with me. You're on the couch tonight."

With that, he leaves the room, heading into our bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him, leaving me on the floor. I hold my stomach with my arms, the pain in my ribs and stomach too much for me to handle, making it impossible for me to get up right now.

I lay there with tears streaming down my face, not daring to make a sound and get him angry again.

I shouldn't have let myself get that distracted. _You know what time he gets home._ I begin to mentally curse at myself for being so forgetful and getting myself into this situation. It's my fault he's angry, I couldn't do one simple task that he asks me to do while he actually goes out and works.  
And he's right. Without him, I'd be nowhere.

Once I feel a little bit of strength return to my body, I move to lay on my back, staring up at the ceiling. I feel like crying more, but there's no tears left.

Suddenly, the darker room lights up, the source coming from my desk. I lazily turn my head and watch as my phone lights up, letting me know that I have a new notification, before it goes dark again. But it continues to light up then go dark multiple times, meaning someone must be spamming me with messages.

I grunt, picking myself up off the floor. Holding my stomach, I weakly walk to my desk and pick up my phone. The screen lights up again and I flinch away, the light too bright for my tired eyes.

Squinting, I turn my brightness down to the lowest it can go before unlocking my phone and looking at the notifications. I see that all of the messages that were spammed were from Dream.

 **  
dream2**  
Bonez???  
are you okay?  
what happened?  
please answer me  
i need to know that you're okay

  
I feel my heart clench, adding to the physical pain I already feel all over my body. I feel worse, but better at the same time. Better because someone's actually checking in on me, but worse because I put him through so much worry. He must've been worried when I left so quick, especially after hearing the loud commotion moments before I hung up.

But I can't tell him about Dylan. Dream could possibly become the first friend I've had in such a long time, and I don't want to mess everything up with him. I'm too embarrassed and ashamed to tell him about what had just happened, and how useless I really am. What if he doesn't want to be friends anymore?

I take a deep and shaky breath, causing my stomach to hurt again, and text him back a quick reply, as if nothing had just happened.

 **  
bonez**  
i'm so sorry about that  
i'm perfectly fine.

  
I cringe at the fat lie I had just texted him. This is definitely not the way I would've liked to start our friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't be shy, if you enjoy this story leave a comment or kudos :)


	3. Dream's gang

_I cringe at the fat lie I had just texted him. This is definitely not the way I would've liked to start our friendship._

______________________

**  
dream2**  
i don't believe you.  
somethings up

  
I stare down at my phone, unsure of what to say or how to respond. He figured that out so quickly. I mean, it was strange how abruptly I got off the call. And I'm sure I sounded very nervous. But I didn't think he'd pick up on something like that.

 **  
bonez**  
dream, i'm fine  
nothing happened

 **dream2**  
do you think i'm just going to believe that?  
you sounded scared before you ended the call so fast

  
Why can't he just leave it alone? It's becoming annoying how he won't just drop it.

 **  
bonez**  
nothing.  
happened.

 **dream2**  
please bonez  
tell me what happened

  
I huff, running a hand through my hair, wincing from the fresh bruises on my arms. I know he's trying to help but I'm getting very annoyed right now. He needs to just drop it.  
I get another notification from Dream. Looking at it, I see he's asking me to tell him what had happened, again. I suddenly get angry, and snap, quickly texting him back.

 **  
bonez**  
dream can you just stop?!  
even if something was wrong, why would I tell you?!  
i just met you!

  
I hit send without even thinking, sending out a wave of anger that definitely shouldn't have been directed at Dream. I immediately regret every message I sent. But it's too late, he's already seen them, and he's already replying.

 **  
dream2**  
i'm sorry.  
i stepped over the line.  
and you're right. we don't even know each other.

  
I feel horrible. I should never have sent any of that; shouldn't have even thought those thoughts. He's just concerned and could tell you were lying, he wanted to help.

 **  
bonez**  
wait dream  
i'm so sorry, i'm just trying to deal with something minor right now  
and i got frustrated, and took it out on you

  
I wait for him to respond, noticing the notification that says he's seen my message. But he doesn't respond. I put my face in my hands, wanting to just cry my eyes out. I was so stupid. I was actually becoming friends with someone. And I had to be the one to fuck it up. He doesn't even want to talk with me anymore.

I can't leave it like this. It was a mistake. So after two agonizing minutes, I reach out again. Hoping he'll see how desperate I am to keep this friendship.

 **  
bonez**  
please respond dream  
i'm sorry and i didn't mean any of that

 **dream2**  
i get it.  
can we just talk tomorrow?

  
I let out a sigh of relief, wiping my damp eyes with my sleeve. He'll let me explain tomorrow, and that's when I'll make sure he knows I'm fine and that everything I said was a huge mistake and meant nothing.

 **  
bonez**  
yeah, of course  
goodnight dream

 **dream2**  
goodnight bonez

  
I sigh, feeling myself relax slightly. I turn my phone off and lean back in my comfy gaming chair, leaving myself in the pitch black room. Today started out amazing, but ended up chaos, all because of myself. But everything will be fine tomorrow.

I slowly get up, wincing as I use my aching muscles to get up out of the chair. I go to the other side of the room where a small couch is. I crouch down and reach underneath, grabbing a blanket. I lay myself down on the couch, pulling the blanket over my shoulders, and going to sleep.

The next morning I woke up somewhat refreshed, feeling- okay. That was until I remembered what had happened last night. Dylan beat me again, and I almost ruined my chance at a friendship with Dream.

Thankfully, Dream understood- I think. But he's letting me explain myself today.  
I still don't want to tell Dream anything about Dylan, and my relationship with him. Even though some small part of me is ordering me to say it, a larger part is saying to keep my mouth shut and not say anything about that. I CANT lose my friendship with Dream, and I've already almost fucked it up. I don't want him to know.

I cautiously walk around the house, nervously checking around to make sure Dylan isn't here. Once I decide the coast is clear I head to the kitchen to get something to eat, hoping to get my mind off my situation with Dream.

I make myself a lousy bowl of oatmeal, not in the mood to cook anything else. As I'm eating I stare off into space, thinking of what I should even say to Dream. I figure the best place to start is with a huge apology, then I'll hopefully be able to get him off the topic that somethings wrong.

Okay, thats dealt with for the most part. But when are we going to talk? Is he going to call me? Do I have to call him? What if he just wants to do it over text, who texts first?

Suddenly, my phone buzzes, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look down at my phone, realizing the answer to my questions as Dream's username pops up on Discord.

 **  
dream2**  
good morning  
you wanna talk?

  
I smile slightly. His good morning message puts me more at ease, making me more ready and confident to talk with him. Thankfully he's not as mad, if at all, as my head keeps telling me. I decide a simple and straightforward reply would be better.

 **  
bonez**  
yes please

 **dream2**  
okay, hop on the call

  
I look at the voice chat, noticing Dreams already in it waiting for me. I take a deep breath and join, putting the call on speaker and placing my phone on the counter.

It's silent for a moment before Dream speaks up.  
"Hey." he starts, his voice missing the excitement I normally hear in it.

"Hey." I mumble. There's a moment of silence before the words suddenly start tumbling out of my mouth. "Dream, I'm so sorry for what I said- er, texted last night. I just suddenly got frustrated, and I took it out on you, which I should not have done. You've literally been so nice to me, and I went and said that. I'm a horrible person, and you didn't deserve what happened last night."

"Bonez." Dream says, attempting to get my attention. But I don't hear him, instead I continue on.

"You did absolutely nothing. And I definitely do not deserve to have you as a friend, so if you want to just leave, I completely under-"

"Bonez!" Dream interrupts me, this time gaining my attention. "Why in the world would I want to leave?"

I freeze, frowning as I bury my face in my hands. "Because I'm a horrible person." I mumble into my hands.

"No you definitely aren't." Dream says, his voice stern. "From our hours long call, I can tell you that you're not a horrible person. You're funny, and kind, and damn good at Minecraft. I understand what happened, I was being pushy and you let your frustration out on me. I could never be mad at you for that."

I feel my heart swell, just knowing that he isn't mad at me feels amazing. It's something new for me. Someone is actually caring and forgiving, even after I snapped at them.

I stay quiet, not trusting my voice. He takes my silence as a cue that I'm won't be saying anything, so he continues, suddenly changing the mood.

"I mean, you should hear the amount of times I've angrily shouted at George and Sapnap. Those guys have to be tired of me by now." He laughs, brightening the conversation up.

I begin to laugh, the fear I was feeling a couple minutes earlier leaving. "They must be pretty annoying to get you to shout at them. You didn't shout at me once during our call yesterday."

"I wouldn't dare yell at you, 'Minecraft God'." he teases, making it obvious he's using air quotes on the words Minecraft God.

"Hey!" I exclaim. "You can't say it like that when you're the one calling me the Minecraft God."

He chuckles lightly. "You're right. You're right."

I laugh with him until we slowly quiet down.

"Thank you Dream." I quietly tell him once we've calmed.

"For what?"

"For caring."

"Bonez, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." he says. "And now I know you are! You just had me worried all night."

"I'm really sorry." I mumble, before realizing what he had said. A smirk spreads across my face, and you can even hear it in my voice. "So, you were thinking of me _all_ night. That's a little weird, don't you think?"

"What?!" he shouts, surprised by what I had said. "No! I wasn't thinking of you in _that_ way! I wouldn't do that! That'd be weird!"

I giggle at how flustered he's become. "Calm down Dream, I was teasing. Thank you for caring."

He chuckles. "Of course."

Theres a comfortable silence, neither one of us speaking. I rest my head on my arm, staring at my phone on the counter and listening to the tapping on the other end of the call, figuring he must be texting someone.

"Oh, yeah!" Dream suddenly exclaims once he's finished typing. "You free today? I was hoping to introduce you to two of my friends."

I smile, excitedly getting up from the barstool. "My calendar is always clear. Are these the two boys you mentioned earlier? Sapmap and George?"

He laughs for about the fourth time in ten minutes, and I'm sure it'll happen more today. "Yeah. It's _Sapnap_ and George, though. That was still a nice try."

"Oops." I laugh, putting my empty oatmeal bowl in the sink, not bothering to wash it right now. "I'd love the meet them."

"We can go on a call with them now." Dream replies. "Its early enough so George is up right now."

"Oh, sure!" I quickly run up to my gaming room, the place I spend the majority of my day.

I get onto Discord on my pc, leaving the call on my phone for a moment, Dream doing the same.

"Okay," Dream starts as we sit on a call with just the two of us. "They're in a separate call right now, so I'll go in and tell them you're joining. Then I'll bring you in, okay?"

"Okay!" I excitedly agree.

Dream leaves the call, leaving me alone for now.

I'm feel both excited, and anxious about meeting George and Sapnap. Dream told me they're super chill and nice, but I can't help but get nervous. This is two more friends I'd have to keep hidden from Dylan. It shouldn't be that much harder, but still, theres always a chance. With three, theres a greater chance that Dylan will see a random notification from any of them; that is if we become friends. Look at me, getting way ahead of myself here.

After waiting for a couple minutes, I begin to get bored. What the hell is taking Dream so damn long? All he was doing was saying I'll be joining right?

I pick up my phone and go to Twitter while I wait. I scroll through all my tweets, laughing at a lot of the comments my followers post on my random tweets, or the tweets about my fanbase they make themselves. My fanbase is very energetic. Sometimes it can get a little toxic, but that happens to every person with a larger following, it's still upsetting though.

The good side of my followers alway rush to shoot down the negative side when they make rude remarks or show no respect for my privacy. It's tougher as a girl gamer, and they always try to pressure me to tell me more about my personal life and show my face. I'm always very thankful when my followers rush in and help me out, but I do tell them to stop, not wanting anything to go too far. Instead, I address the situation myself.

I look up at my screen as a notification from Dream pops up. He tells me to join their call with an invite.

Immediately after joining the call, someone screams into their mic.

"Hi Bonez!" a deep voice shouts at a very high volume, causing me to wince. "I watched Dreams stream with you yesterday!"

"Sapnap!" Dream shouts. "Stop yelling!"

"You're yelling too!" Sapnap shouts back, louder than Dream, causing me to turn my volume down.

"So you can hear me telling you to stop over your yelling!" Dream argues back, not going quite as loud as Sapnap just was.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Sapnap suddenly says in a calm voice.

My headset volume was turned down so low I almost wasn't able to hear his voice at a normal volume. I turn it back up to what its regularly set at, praying no one starts shouting again. I don't think my poor ears can take it.

"See Bonez? This is what I was talking about earlier." Dream sighs. "They make me raise my voice a lot."

"Hey," a british accent says, and since I already know what Sapnap and Dream sound like, I can assume that this is George. I can also tell by looking at the voice call. "you know, you get pretty annoying too, Dream."

"Okay." Dream agrees. "But thats not what we were talking about earlier."

"You were talking about us with Bonez earlier?" Sapnap asks, a grin obviously on his face. "You told her how _hot_ I am right?"

"No. I did tell her how annoying you are though."

"Did he really bash on us or no Bonez? I gotta hear it from you." Sapnap says, finally giving you time to speak.

I hear quick typing from one of their calls before I suddenly get a private message from Dream.

 **  
dream2**  
tell them yes

  
I shrug my shoulders. Alright I guess.

"Yeah." I confirm, agreeing with Dream. "He went on for about five or so minutes about how annoying you guys get."

"Dream did not say that." George denies. "He just now told you to say that, and now the two of you are messing with us."

Damn, he's good.

"I don't know George." I sigh. "He did call you guys annoying."

"Dream! Take that back right now!" Sapnap demands, raising his voice yet again. It almost sounds like he's scolding a kid who's just done something they shouldn't have.

"You're just proving my point right now!" Dream argues back.

Sapnap quietly pouts, typing random things in the chat. I laugh as he sends random memes people have made from Dream's Minecraft skin.

"Anyways!" Dream shouts, hoping to get all of our attention away from the images people have created to make fun. "You guys haven't even properly introduced yourselves, like I had told you to do beforehand."

"She probably already knows us by now, but I'm George." George introduces, his british accent very obvious. "I'm British if you hadn't noticed already."

I laugh. "Yep, I got that."

"And I'm Sapnap." the energetic and loud one introduces. "I'm basically the hottest, smartest, and funniest one here. And I'm the best Minecraft player here."

"We'll have to see about that Sapnap." Dream says. "You said you watched my stream yesterday, so you saw how good Bonez is."

"Yeah," Sapnap sighs dramatically, giving us a fake yawn. "I wasn't too impressed."

I stare at the Discord call in shock. "Really Sapnap?"

"Yup." he replies simply. "I can easily take you in any situation."

"Let's go then." I challenge. "Ten rounds, even fight, first to six wins."

He pauses, contemplating if he should actually take my offer. He had to have been kidding about not being impressed from yesterday, I was doing great while Dream and I were playing.

"If you do this, you're just going to embarrass yourself, Sapnap." George warns him. "She's gonna kick your ass."

"You know what?" Sapnap huffs. "Just because George said that, I'm doing it for sure."

George groans, obviously shaking his head from Sapnaps reasoning behind his choice.

"Okay then. We'll all hop on a world, and watch Sapnap versus Bonez." Dream decides.

"Sounds great." I say, already loading up Minecraft.

After a couple minutes, everyone is on the world. Sapnap and I have both gotten full diamond armor, diamond swords, shields, and food, nothing else.  
I stand ready to fight in front of Sapnaps character. Dream and George are in creative mode, watching from the air.

"Okay! Ten rounds, first to six wins!" Dream announces, unable to contain his excitement.

"Will there be a prize for whoever wins?" Sapnap asks.

"Bragging rights." George laughs.

Dream chuckles with him. "That, and I'll send a hundred dollars to the winner."

"Really?" I ask him, shocked he'd be giving out money as a prize for a Minecraft duel.

"Yup!" he chirps. "You ready to be a hundred dollars richer Bonez?"

"Hell yeah I am." I grin, making my character crouch and un crouch, swinging my sword in the air.

"Well George has faith in me, right?" Sapnap asks.

George is quiet for a moment, before replying. "Yeah, sure."

"I'll be on Bonez's side, and George can be on Sapnaps side." Dream decides. "Now are you two ready?"

"Yup." I reply, getting myself prepared. I'm sure I'll win this, but I can't be too cocky and go easy, he might beat me if I'm expecting someone who sucks. Which I've never watched Sapnap play Minecraft, so I wouldn't know. But if Dream and George are so confident in me winning then I should be fine.

"Let's do this!" Sapnap cheers, making his character jump up and down.

"Okay, ready." Dream starts. "Set. Go!"

Sapnap and I charge at each other, swords swinging at one another. Before he can get a hit on me, I crouch and use my shield to block, then going in for the attack.

I end up winning the first two rounds, then he wins the next two, and the one after that. Putting him ahead by one with five games left. George and Sapnap start crazily cheering after Sapnap kills me, Dream protesting.

We pause as Dream talks to me, and George talks with Sapnap. Dream has made separate voice chats, one named 'Winners Chat' which Sapnap named, and then other named 'God Tier' which is what me and Dream are in.

"Okay, Bonez." Dream begins, his character crouching in front of mine. "Beat. Sapnap. I do not want to give him a hundred dollars."

"I got this Dream, don't worry." I reassure. "These last rounds are mine for sure."

"Good." he grins. "You got this. I'm on your side."

"Thanks Dream." I smile, feeling even more confided than I was before.

We all join the same Discord call and get back to our fight. After four more rounds, the game is over.

"Yes! Way to go Bonez!" Dream cheers excitedly once Sapnaps character has died. "A beautiful victory! Six to three!"

"Hell yeah!" I exclaim, throwing my hands up in victory. "I get money, and bragging rights!"

"I knew you would win Bonez!" George cheers too, flying over to me and punching my character.

"Hey!" Sapnap shouts. "You were supposed to be on my side."

"I was at the time, but now I have to join the winner."

"Traitor." Sapnap spits, already pouting from his loss.

We mess around on the world for a couple more minutes, Dream and George having a couple fights to mess around, Sapnap and I occasionally joining in, before we all decide to play some bedwars.

We do a couple rounds where we're all on the same team, completely dominating the games, before we switch to two players per team. Switching our teams around every round so we can all get a chance to be together.

After an hour or two, I decide to get off, saying goodbye to all three boys. I leave the call and close Minecraft, turning my pc off as I lay back in my chair.

Suddenly, Dream sends me a message wanting to paypal me my hundred dollars. I smile, accepting it before going to Twitter.

 **  
bonez** @: HolyBonez  
 **@** **Sapnap2** how does it feel to lose?  
  


I tweet that out to my followers before heading downstairs to relax on the couch and watch some Netflix, grinning the entire time.   
I can't believe I've made two more friends, and it's all thanks to Dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lemme know what you guys think,, leave comments/kudos :)


	4. Dream SMP

_I can't believe I've made two more friends, and it's all thanks to Dream._

_____________________  
  
_

After streaming for three days in a row, I decided that today was going to be my break day. No matter how bad I want to play and stream, I'm forcing myself to stay away from my pc. Which is hard because I literally do nothing except stream.

Plus, today is a better day to take a break because tomorrow I'll be streaming with Dream, Sapnap, and George. We're going to be playing on Minecraft for a couple hours while we wait for Mcc to announce the new teams for next month. The boys said that I can become a part of the Dream Smp, but to not tell my followers yet.   
Sapnap had made sure to make it clear to me that it's a very high honor to become a member of the Dream Smp, so it has to be a very special surprise for my viewers.

As for Mcc, I'll just be honest and say I'm nervous. After a couple months of declining their invites, I finally excepted. I know absolutely nothing about the games and how they are played, unlike everyone else who's already participated in at least one Mcc.   
And I'm nervous about the team. What if I'm with people I've never even heard of, which is very likely because I've literally never watched anyone else's videos. I can just hope that I have at least one of the guys with me, that'll make it much easier for me.

I head down to the living room, exhaustion from staring at a screen for hours in the past three days finally catching up with me.

_Perfect. I'll just chillax and watch Netflix, most likely fall asleep._

I grab myself some snacks before slumping onto the comfy couch.

I go to Netflix, flipping through a couple shows on my list that I haven't seen, but plan on watching.   
In the end, I pick nothing new and decide on my favorite show once again.

I scroll through Twitter, using the show I just put on mostly for background noise. I notice a lot of really cute fan art of the main way my minecraft character is portrayed, but one sticks out to me; a girl with a navy blue hood that's separate from her, also navy blue, long sleeve shirt, pulled over her head. The long sleeve has a skull sitting on a pile of bones in the center of it. The artwork has the sleeves rolled up a bit, showing off a small tattoo of two bones in the shape of an X on her forearm.

_A nice and cute touch that uses a part of my username._

The art also has my character wearing black cargo pants, and combat boots.   
And the pose is absolutely amazing; she's glaring at something that isn't shown, as she holds a bow and arrow, aiming and ready to shoot whatever she's glaring at.

And lastly, to top everything off, there's a bright halo shining red above her hooded head, also using part of my username. The artists always have the color of my halo changing based on the emotion I'm showing in the fan art, and I'm guessing this one is anger.

Overall, I absolutely love the art, all of it. I love the way my character has it's own way it's drawn, and if something is different from this then that means they've put me in a story and have needed to change the outfit I'm in, but it never strays far from the way I'm portrayed to everyone.

After I retweet and like a lot of art, I come across a very new and recent drawing. It's of my character standing in the middle of the boys's characters. George is to the left of me, Sapnap is behind me, and Dream is to the right of me.   
All of us are smirking straight ahead and everyone is holding a different weapon. George has a bundle of tnt, Sapnap has a lighter in one hand and a burning piece of wood in his other hand, Dream has a shiny diamond sword, and I have a bow and arrow.

I grin at the new fan art of all of us, scrolling up to see the caption.  
  
  
 **HolySophie** @ :SophieSimping4BlockPeople  
new dream team member? they got along so well in yesterday's stream, i had to draw them together in hopes that **@ :HolyBonez** will join them !!

She tagged me and the others in the picture. I like the image that's already at two thousand likes, before retweeting it, hoping to get her art out there for other people to see.

I decide that enough phone, is enough phone. I put it down and lazily watch my show, falling asleep in a matter of minutes.  
After a few hours, I wake up to go make a simple dinner for Dylan and I. I eat my food, putting Dylan's in the oven to keep it warm before heading back up to our room to go back to sleep.

When I wake up the next morning I feel completely refreshed, yesterday's no gaming rule I gave myself actually benefitted me. So now I'm ready to stream with Dream and the others for hours.

I wait around patiently, getting ready in the meantime.  
Just as I sit down in front of my computer, my phone goes off with messages from Sapnap and George, telling both me and Dream to get on the call.

I respond before switching to Discord on my computer, joining the call.

"Heyy." I excitedly greet the group, minus Dream. He hasn't responded to the others Discord messages yet.

"Hey Bonez." Sapnap casually replies.

"Where's Dream?" George asks me curiously.

I furrow my brows in confusion, letting out a light laugh. "Why would I be the one to know where Dream's at?"

"You have been talking with him a lot in separate voice calls, I figured you two talked before this." George replies like it's my job to know where Dream is.

"Yeah." Sapnap agrees, giggling like a small child. "You've been getting _very_ close to him."

"W-what?!" I stutter, my cheeks heating up. "Just because I talk with him doesn't mean anything!"

"Aw, she stuttered!" George exclaims, teasing me.

"Thats so cute Bonez!" Sapnap adds to the teasing.

I groan, putting my face in my hands to hide my embarrassment, even though nobody can see me. It just feels much more comfortable hiding behind my hands.  
Of course I would be teased about this too, nobody knows I have a boyfriend. And since I don't want anyone to know about him, I'll just laugh along with it. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to be embarrassed. And it's not hurting me so I could care less if they tease me, I know its all in good fun.

"You're blushing right now, huh?" George asks slyly.

"No I'm not!" I defend myself, way too quickly to be telling the truth.

"Oh my gosh! She is!" Sapnap exclaims.

"She's what?" Dream's voice suddenly asks, scaring the shit out of me.

I jump, praying that Dream hadn't been in the call for long. But by his question, I'm guessing he hasn't been, so he didn't hear what we were previously talking about.

"Dreams here!" George cheers.

"We can finally get this party started." Sapnap exhales loudly, acting like we've been waiting hours for Dream to get here.

"What were you guys talking about before I got here?" Dream asks, confused. "I feel like I'm missing out right now."

"Nothing." reply as casually as I possibly can, wanting to change the subject badly. "Let's get on! I'm all ready to start my stream!"

"Wow Bonez, you're really good at staying inconspicuous." George mumbles sarcastically.

"Okay, now I'm even more confused." Dream sighs.

"And you'll be staying confused." I comment before heading to Twitter.  
  


 **bonez** @ :HolyBonez  
Special stream today! Join and watch live before it gets spoiled on Twitter!  
  


I tweet that out to my followers, they'll understand once we actually get on.

I'm the first to start streaming out of the four of us, my audience already growing large.

"Okay guys, I'm streaming so don't say anything stupid." I warn them, loading up my Minecraft.

"What counts as stupid?" Sapnap questions. "Asking for Dream."

"Basically any word that comes out of your mouth Sapnap." Dream shoots back, getting Sapnap to quiet up.

George and I begin laughing, unable to control ourselves and stop for Sapnap's sake.

"Dude, not cool." Sapnap grumbles. "Dream's got like no chill."

"I just started my stream now." George says, changing the subject. "Dream, Sapnap, stop arguing and start your streams already."

As the other boys start their streams, each Tweeting out a message before starting, I skim over my chat as it passes by rapidly. Most of them are greeting me, saying they missed me yesterday, and some are excited about what's going to be happening in the stream. They're getting even more hyped up because I'm talking with all three of the guys, the dream team.

Once everyone has started their stream we finally say hi to our own audiences before shouting a greeting to each others viewers.

"Okay, okay." I say, settling down the boys and getting them to stop screaming at each others streams. "My audience is dying to know what the special surprise is, so let's get to that. I just got a donation that said they can't take the suspense anymore."

"Alright, everything has already been set up. So you're just one click away from showing them." Dream explains.

"Thanks Dream." I smile before going to address my stream, the boys staying quiet as I begin to reveal the big news. "So the guys and I were talking, and they have come to the conclusion that I am worthy."

I pause for a little dramatic affect. "And I've been made an official member of the Dream Smp!" I cheer, quickly clicking on and joining the server.

Dream, George, and Sapnap start whooping and shouting random things as the game chat says I've joined the game. I look at my chat's reaction, glad to see that everyone is extremely hyped and excited.

I turn my character in a full circle, confused as I notice I'm trapped in a large area thats been blocked off. I walk towards a wall and attempt to break the block to get out, but I'm unable to break anything.

"What the hell guys?" I question, running all around the small space, looking for a way out.

"We forgot this happens." Sapnap laughs. "But this can be the first challenge to see if you're really worthy."

"Really?" I groan, looking up at the top of the walls. I spot all three of them, each decked out in netherite armor with matching swords in their hands.

They laugh as I run around, jumping on trees to find a way over the wall. I begin to grow impatient, wanting out. I glance at my chat and notice they're spamming where to go.

_Thank you chat._

I follow their directions, jumping across trees like I was earlier, this time taking a different route. This one is a more hidden way that eventually leads to a hole in the wall thats too high to reach from a lower block.

I complete the parkour, cheering with the guys as I make it out of the spawn trap.

"Wait a minute-" Dream mumbles, going quiet for a moment. "Hey! You cheated! My chat's telling me yours was giving you directions!"

I gasp. "Dream, your chat is a bunch of rats!" Either my traitor viewers left my stream to snitch and tell Dream, or Dream's viewers came to mine to see if I'd actually cheat.

"Yeah! Bad chat!" Sapnap exclaims, siding with me and scolding Dreams viewers.

"Don't snitch!" George shouts. "Snitches get stitches!"

The three of us spend a couple minutes shouting at Dreams stream, Dream eventually joining in, the whole call becoming very chaotic like it usually does.

After we're sure we scared them enough and taught them a lesson, I finally get the official tour of the Dream Smp. Dream takes me to his house first, giving me full diamond armor and one piece of netherite. I'm taken to Sapnap's next, and he gives me diamond tools, then lastly to Georges. He says he doesn't have much like the others so he just throws a bunch of food to me.

At the end of my tour, it looks like I've been on the world for awhile. We were even able to get me three more pieces of netherite, sneakily stealing them from the other's houses since no one else was currently on.

We mess around for awhile, running around and fighting with each other, or building random things around the world, mostly large walls around houses to try and piss off the others.

Sometime while we were talking about random things, the topic of a face reveal comes up, and how both me and Dream haven't done one. And both George and Sapnap are now asking me why I haven't done mine yet.

"Eh, I just like my privacy." I shrug. "If everyone knew my face I might get a lot of people coming up to me on the rare occasion I actually go outside, and I'm just not ready for that yet."

"Ah, so you're like Dream." George states.

"I guess, since we both have the same reasoning." I nod before adding, " You know if you guys ever want to see my face I'll do a reveal, but only for you three."

"I'd be so honored." Sapnap fake cries. "I haven't even gotten to see Dreams handsome face yet."

"Wait, really?" I ask, shocked that Dream hasn't shown his face to his two closest friends, even after years of being friends, which is what they had told me earlier.

"Nope. We still have yet to see Dream's face." George sighs.

"Well," Dream says, dragging out the L. "If Bonez wants to see my face I'll show her, and _only_ her."

"Dude really?" Sapnap groans. "What are you? A simp?"

"Simp!" George shouts, obviously using his hands to cup around his mouth so he's louder.

"Well now I don't feel so bad about only wanting to show her." Dream shrugs.

I laugh lightly as they argue, Sapnap and George begging Dream to let them see his face as well.

"We'll group facetime!" Sapnap cries out, trying to give Dream different ways to do his face reveal, all of them involving himself.

"No." Dream shoots him down before addressing me. "So Bonez, do you accept my offer? We can reveal our faces to each other."

I hum, tapping my chin as I think. Obviously I'll pick to facetime him, out I just wanna tease everyone for a second.

"Just take the deal!" George exclaims, unable to deal with my "thinking" anymore.

"Alright, alright." I laugh. "Yes, I'll accept your offer Dream."

"Cool! I'll send you my number on the chat right now. Make sure to pause your screen so your chat doesn't see it."

I do as he says, pausing my screen before going to the chat on Discord to wait for his message. After a couple seconds, he sends me his number.

"I got it!" I cheer, Sapnap and George cheering too.

I suddenly get another donation as I type his number into my phone, the voice chat immediately starts reading it aloud. " _Please tell us if Dream's hot!!"_

I laugh, quickly dismissing the donations request. Obviously I won't be saying anything about his appearance, wanting to respect his decision to not have everyone know what he looks like.

I finish making his contact, George pressuring me to hurry up and call him already.

"I'm doing it! Calm down!" I shush him, clicking the facetime button on Dreams contact.

_Facetiming Dreamy~_

"Dream, pick up." I tell him, waiting impatiently. "I'm dying of suspense right now."

My heart speeds up as it says the call is connecting, I feel nervous but also excited. He's really going to be showing me what he looks like, he already trusts me enough to share something private to him.

The call goes through, and it's suddenly my face on one side of the call, and Dreams ceiling on the other. I stay quiet, expecting him to move the camera and show his face, but he doesn't.

"You look very pretty." he suddenly compliments, completely serious.

I feel the blush rise on my cheeks for the second time today. I quickly cover my mouth, looking away as I mumble a quiet thank you, George and Sapnap making barfing noises.

"So?" George suddenly asks in excitement. "What does Dream actually look like?"

"He's hot right?" Sapnap asks.

"Dude, what's up with you and saying I'm hot?" Dream questions, his voice echoing from his stream and mine.

"Man, I know you're just too humble to show your hot face." Sapnap sighs.

"Bonez?" George says, getting my attention.

"I mean, I'd answer if he actually showed me."

"Oh right." Dream mutters before moving his camera.

I hold my breath, anxious to see.   
He turns it to his face and I let out a loud groan in disappointment, sighing as I stare at a white mask with a smiley face on it that's covering the top part of his face, only his mouth showing below the bottom of the mask.

"Whoa, that sound was a little weird." Sapnap comments.

"Give us details!" George burst out. My chat typing the exact same thing in all caps.

"Guys, he was messing. He didn't really show me his face at all. He's wearing a white smile mask." I state as Dream begins laughing uncontrollably.

His laugh is so genuine, that it brings a smile to my face. He's happy, and he's gotten his trick in, and I honestly can't be angry or disappointed at all.

"That's not fair! She showed her face!" Both Sapnap and George complain.

"It's honestly fine." I comment, shrugging my shoulders. "If Dream doesn't want to show his face, then I'm fine with that."

Dream's laughter slowly dies down until he stops, everyone giving him the time he needs to recover. I end the facetime, not wanting the audio to continue echoing.

"I'm sorry guys." he apologizes. "I'm just not ready to show _anyone_ right now, and I don't think I will for a while."

He sounds guilty, which makes me feel bad. It's his choice to keep himself private, and he shouldn't feel like he has to show anyone. "It's completely fine Dream. If you don't want to share, it's perfectly okay." I reassure him.

"Yeah, if you're uncomfortable, then we won't push." George says.

"We'll always support you man." Sapnap adds cheerfully.

"Thanks guys." Dream chuckles.

"But now that we're on the topic, Bonez did say she'd show us her face." Sapnap says, mentions what I had said earlier.

"Yeah, I'm fine with showing you guys." I agree.

I'm immediately sent two more phone numbers. I put them in my phone like I had with Dreams earlier before doing a group facetime with the two of them.

_Facetiming Snapmap and Georgie~_

They both pick up the call much quicker than Dream had, obviously eager to see my face. I'm also pretty excited to see their faces too, since I hadn't bothered to actually look them up and see for myself.

I grin widely, waving both my hands excitedly as their faces pop up on the screen.

"Dream was right, you are pretty." Sapnap compliments, just like Dream had.

I laugh as one of my donations pops up, the voice reading it. This time both Sapnap and George can hear it since they're on a call with me, Dreams also able to hear it faintly since the audio from the facetime can be heard from the Discord.

_"Sapnap and Dream are simps. It's Confirmed."_

George and I begin laughing, as Dream and Sapnap both continue to deny it.

"Now we just have to get George." I teased, smirking as now George begins to deny it. Saying he'll never be a simp.

As we're all laughing and shouting at each other, I get a notification that Mcc has tweeted out the first team, and because the others get quiet too, I can tell they also got it.

We all head to the tweet, ignoring it after seeing that none of us are on the first team. We get back to messing around on the Smp, the boys helping me get materials for the house I'll be building somewhere.

After a couple more team announcements, all of which were not on, they finally announce the players on Purple Pandas; me, Dream, George, and Sapnap.

"No way!" Sapnap exclaims, being the first to see the team.

"What? What's the team?" I anxiously ask.

"The four of us are all on the same team!" Sapnap shouts, nearly blowing out my eardrums.

"No way!" Dream and I both exclaim at the same time.

"We're going to absolutely dominate this Mcc!" George exulted, pounding his fists on the desk.

"And it's the Purple Pandas!" Sapnap cheers, even more excited than he was before.

We all continue to celebrate loudly, our chats doing the same and people donating excitedly, saying how we'll definitely be winning the next Mcc.

We go around the Dream Smp, placing signs everywhere that say "Get ready to lose the next Mcc- PP". Dream and Sapnap insisted we put PP as our groups initials, destroying every sign that George and I had put up that didn't have it.

After a while, we all eventually get off the world, agreeing to get back on tomorrow to stream for a little bit before leaving the Discord call.

I leave my gaming room and run to my bedroom, excitedly jumping onto the bed. I pull up Twitter to finally retweet the team for anyone that hasn't seen it.

 **  
bonez** @ :HolyBonez  
First Mcc and I'm already gonna win. Pog?  
  


The likes, comments, and retweets immediately start rolling in. Everyone commenting pog in all caps, some people are just now getting hyped because they missed both the stream and the team announcement.  
  


|  
 **dream2** @ :dreamwastaken2  
this is definitely pog

|  
 **sapnap2** @ :twsimpnap  
POG! we'll be taking the crowns home guys

|  
 **George** @ :GeorgeNootFound  
winners pov! this is pog  
  


I grin, liking all their replies before heading to their accounts to comment on their posts.

It's going to be tough, but if we want to win Mcc then one things for sure. I'm definitely going to have to train.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave kudos/comments if ur sexy


	5. Meeting

_It's going to be tough, but if we want to win Mcc then one things for sure. I'm definitely going to have to train._

______________________

I stretch my arms and legs, pushing the blankets off of me as I do so, the cold air making contact with my skin. Once I've finished my stretching, I tiredly open my eyes, turning my head to the right.

I frown, expecting to see Dylan lying beside me, however he's gone. It's Saturday, he doesn't have work, so he should be here all day. I look past the empty spot in the bed towards the window, noticing it's still dark even though it's 12 pm.

I slowly get out of bed, still too tired to function at a quicker pace. I walk up to the window, pulling back the curtain so see a dark and cloudy day, raindrops racing down the window.

It's cold outside, but since I'm inside it isn't as bad. I decide to stay in my nike pro shorts, slipping on one of my merch hoodies. My merch is a navy blue hoodie with a small pile of bones on the top right of the chest, a skull sitting on top, and a shiny halo above the skull.

I grab my phone before checking all around the apartment for any sign of my boyfriend, finding nothing. I guess its a good thing he's gone today, I had hoped to play on the Smp for a little, maybe find someone to talk with on the server, and since he's not here I have the freedom to do so.

I feel good today, excited to get on the Dream Smp and finally start on my house. So, to make myself feel even better, I decide to actually make myself a good breakfast. A delicious meal to start a good and productive day.

I put my airpods in my ears, turning up the volume to my current favorite song.

I blast that shit, making my way around the kitchen, grabbing eggs, sausages, pancake mix, and some strawberries.

I make the scrambled eggs and sausages, placing them on my plate before finishing up three pancakes. I stack them up, putting the strawberries on top, before pouring some apple juice in a glass.

_Fuck the overrated glass of orange juice, apple juice supremacy._

I sit down and happily shove everything on my plate into my mouth, a grin on my face as I chew on the sweet pancakes. I am not a chef at all, but I definitely know how to make some bomb ass pancakes.

I finish my food in a matter of minutes, my stomach feeling stuffed to the point where I might just burst. After lying my head on the counter, unable to move an inch, I clean my dishes and head up stairs.

On my way up, I suddenly get a phone call.

_Incoming call ~ Dylan <3_

I sigh, pausing my music, relieved he's calling to tell me where he is.

I answer the call, continuing up the stairs and talking through my airpods. "Hey."

"Hey, babe." Dylan says, his voice raised over the background music. I listen harder and hear loud laughing and music in the background. "I went out with the guys. We're gonna get smashed, so Ima stay at Austins house. Don't make dinner for me, I won't be there."

My eyes widen at the sound of his voice. He's already slurring and drunk and it's only what? 12:30 pm, wow.   
"Oh, alright." I nod. "Stay safe, okay?"

"Okay, okay. Bye." he says quickly, his buddies calling his name in the back.

"By-" I begin, suddenly being cut off by the sound of the call ending.

I groan, rubbing my face before heading up to my pc, not wanting to think about Dylan at all right now. He'll be home tomorrow, so I'll have all day to play.

I sit down with a bottle of water, turning on Minecraft and my Twitch stream before loading onto the Dream Smp.

"Okay, so I'll start building my house right here." I announce to my viewers.   
I'm standing on top of a hill Dream said I should put my house on, his own little house below the mountain. He came up with the idea that we can both build secret tunnels into the hill between our two houses and have a secret base together there.

I gather a bunch of wood, needing planks and regular logs to build my fancy-ish house, half of which will be hanging over the edge of the cliff.

After about half an hour of building, someone else joins the server.

Tommyinnit.

I'm about to type hello in chat when he suddenly sends something

_< TommyInnit> WHO EVEN ARE YOU??_

I freeze, deleting my chat as I stare at his message, my eyes wide.

"Guys, who is this?" I ask my chat, confused.

The chat moves way too quickly for me to see, but thankfully a donation comes up and tells me something about TommyInnit.

 **Izzys_not_here** ~ Donated $10  
 _Tommy is a CHILD, call him that and he'll get mad. Seriously, do it._

I laugh, my chat spamming that I should do it. "Okay, guys. I'm obviously going to be doing that."

I look back at the chat and notice a couple other messages from him.

_< TommyInnit> ???_   
_< TommyInnit> WHY ARE YOU CURRENTLY ALL OVER MY TWITTER_   
_< TommyInnit> DREAM HAS BEEN BLOWING OFF STREAMING WITH ME TO STREAM WITH YOU???_   
_< TommyInnit> YOU'RE A WOMAN, RIGHT?_

I cringe, does this kid only use caps? I do not want to know what his stream sounds like, but I'm guessing he likes to shout. A lot.  
And Dream has been choosing to stream with me over him? I'm not sure if they're good friends but that makes me feel happy but also guilty. The guilty feeling is immediately wiped away after remembering how he chats.

I decide to respond, trusting that my viewers weren't just fucking with me about him being younger.

_< HolyBonez> Shut up, child._   
_< HolyBonez> You're way too loud._   
_< TommyInnit> EXCUSE ME??_   
_< TommyInnit> HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?_

I laugh at his response. My audience was right, he definitely doesn't like being called a child. But this is good, if he starts shouting shit once again, I can just tell the child to calm down again.

I ignore him, not wanting to respond, instead continuing to build my house.

As I'm crouched on the edge of the cliff, using wood to build out into the air, I'm suddenly punched off the cliff.   
On instinct, I quickly take out my water bucket, placing my water down before I can hit the ground and die.

I pick up my water and look to the top of the cliff, watching as Tommy's character crouches and un crouches, swinging his fist through the air.

I glare at my screen. "Ugh, that damn child!"

_< TommyInnit> Don't ignore me, woman._   
_< HolyBonez> okay, what?_   
_< TommyInnit> I told you to join my Discord_

I look back up in the chat, noticing he had indeed told me to join his Discord, I just chose to ignore it completely.

He's so demanding.

_< HolyBonez> and why would I do that?_   
_< TommyInnit> BECAUSE..._   
_< TommyInnit> JUST DO IT_   
_< HolyBonez> fine_

I sigh, pausing my stream and adding Tommy, joining his call. "Hello?"

"You are a woman!" he suddenly shouts in the call, blasting my eardrums. "And you're American!"

"So?!" I shout right back, matching his energy. "You're British, and a child!"

"Who the hell told you that?!"

"I'll let you know I'm very popular on Twitch and Youtube." I huff, my character making it back up to the top of the mountain. "My viewers tell me what I need to know."

"How have you not heard about me?" he asks. "Do your research woman."

I shake my head. "No thanks. I only do research on important people. Not children."

"I'm seriously sixteen!" he exclaims. "That is a young adult, not a _child_!"

"Nah, young adult is eighteen. You're just a minor." I snort. Messing with him is actually really fun.

"How old are you then?" Tommy questions, most likely hoping I'll say like sixteen or seventeen, maybe even younger. "How do we not know you're not a minor too?"

"I'm not sharing that information TommyInnit." I tell him, not wanting to reveal my age to everyone. "Just know I'm not a minor."

"Can you drink legally yet?" he quickly asks.

"Not yet." I answer, before realizing I've shared a little more information than I had wanted.

"Ha!" he laughs in my ear, proud he'd gotten something out of me, now having a small range of my age. "You're either eighteen, nineteen, or twenty! Because Americans can legally drink at twenty-one!"

"Wow Tommy." I deadpan. "Thanks for that."

"Anytime!" he chirps, knowing I was sarcastic but choosing to ignore the fact.

I continue to build my house, now getting constant donations of people trying to guess my age, a lot of them getting it right.   
With only three numbers to choose from theres a high chance of most of them picking twenty; my actual age.

Tommy and I continue talking, making fun of each other a lot of the time, but he actually begins helping me by getting more materials for my house.

Suddenly, someone else joins the game, this time someone I know.

_Dream joined the game._   
_< Dream> Add me to your call, I know you guys are talking on Discord_

"I'll invite him." I tell Tommy, pausing my game and going to Discord, adding Dream in.

"Dude, Tommy!" Dream suddenly, shouts, not really angry, just in a scolding tone. "Did you really almost expose her age when she doesn't want that out there."

"Well, I mean, she didn't have to answer my question." Tommy replies, acting innocent.

"What?!" I exclaim, he did not just imply that I was the one that almost exposed myself. "You tricked me!"

"That sounds like your problem." Tommy shrugs. "Don't be easy to trick."

I grumble, listening to Tommy make fun of me for being tricked by a minor while I finish the main part of my house, only needing to fill in the windows and empty space inside the building.  
Dream offers to fill my house with chests, furnaces, and crafting tables, while Tommy goes and gets me a bunch of sand.   
I sneak down into Dreams house to grab some coal, too lazy to go mine for it myself.

I get back to my house before the two, designing my house a little while I wait. I place down all the chests Dream gave me, dedicating an small room just for them, with a crafting table in the floor right in the middle of the room.

I decorate the area around my bed, placing down a grass block and a red tulip that Dream had given me when I first joined.

Over time other people start joining; Sapnap, then Tubbo, then George, WilburSoot, Nihachu, and The_Eret.

A stupidly large grin stretches across my face as I talk with these new people, actually making friends. This is all so new to me, but it feels amazing to have friends to laugh and mess around with. I've never been accepted this quick by any one person, let alone five people who don't even know any real information about me.

I ditch trying to finish building my house for the time being, running around the Dream Smp, everyone fighting against each other.

After we're done screaming and killing each other, we settle down a bit. Everyone starts to fix up the world, replacing blocks that had been destroyed by tnt. Thankfully, my in progress house hadn't been touched by the destruction, however, the same can't be said for Tommy and Sapnap.

I crouch my character on top of a mountain, leaning back in my chair and watching as everyone runs around to rebuild. I take this time to read aloud and answer my donations, having fallen behind because of our mini battle. The others occasionally answering the donations questions.

 **ChikiCharlie** ~ Donated $15  
 _ARE YOU A DREAM TEAM MEMBER???_

I chuckle, thinking about it. The guys have never told me I am so I don't really know the answer to that. I'm probably not, I've only known them for a couple days now. We have been playing together a lot though.

"Yup." Dream answers for me, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Of course she is guys."

"Wait, for real?" I ask, unsure if he's just messing or if they really want me apart of their group.

"Duh." Sapnap says, as if I should've already known that.

"I guess we've never really said anything to make it official." Dream thinks aloud. "So, welcome to the Dream Team Bonez! As of today, you are no longer aloud to stream by yourself!"

"Yeah, you have us now!" George cheers. "Just message us and we'll hop on."

Everyone congratulates me, saying I've promoted from a lone streamer to a group streamer.   
So they all think I've been choosing to stream by myself. If I could've I would've streamed with others long ago, but Dylan wouldn't allow that. I'm not sure what's different now, maybe I've become less afraid. I'm more willing to just go out and make friends, either not caring what Dylan will say and do or choosing to block it out. I'll deal with that if I get there.

More people make donations, some being pretty disrespectful and telling me to share my face and name, but most of them are asking questions, saying something to me and the guys, or notifying me of the fan art they've made or they're planning to make with the new information from today.

"Bonez." Sapnap asks me out of the blue.

"Yeah?"

"I just got a dono asking me to ask if you mind describing yourself so they can draw you in fan art." he rereads to me. "If you don't want to they'll understand, and if they don't I'll make sure they do."

I laugh, humming as I think about it. It can't be bad, I'll just give them a basic description of myself.

"I've done one. Thats the only description any of you know about me." Dream tells me, making my decision to do it easier.

"Sure, I'll do it." I finally agree, the others who haven't seen me getting excited about a description.

"If you lie about something we'll call you out on it!" George exclaims. "So be honest!"

"Alright, alright." I giggle, thinking of where to start. "Well, I'm 5'4'', and I'm most definitely not getting taller."

"Wow, you're short." Tommy laughs loudly.

"Tommy you are not aloud to speak, you're like an inch or two taller." Wilbur chimes in, getting Tommy to shut up.

I thank Wilbur before continuing the general description of myself. "I have e/c eyes and h/l h/c hair." I pause, tilting my head to think about anything else.  
"Ah, and I have light freckles across my nose." I finish. "Thats really it."

**(sorry if you don't have freckles or your not 5'4" ,, i just really like those descriptions lmao)**

"Is all that true guys?" Eret asks Sapnap, George, and Dream, the only three that have seen my face.

The three boys agree, letting everyone know I wasn't lying.

"Even the little freckles." Sapnap adds in a higher pitched baby voice.

"Her and Dream match." Niki mutters, giggling lightly.

"That's _so_ cute!" George laughs, exaggerating the word 'so' in his British accent.

I groan, hiding my face in my hands as everyone on the call laughs. Everyone except for me and Dream, both of us staying quiet as we blush dark red.

After a couple more hours I decide I've been playing for way too long today, getting off at 7 pm, Dream doing the same. The two of us decide to continue talking on Discord as we make ourselves dinner.

I take my phone and airpods downstairs, talking with Dream the entire time I make and eat my food.

By 8pm, I've eaten and am now sitting on my gaming chair, my knees pulled up to my chest, my chin resting on top of them as I laugh at a joke Dream just told.

He begins wheezing like a tea kettle, something I've heard him do only a couple other times during our streams. His laugh is one of my favorite sounds, it's so genuine and happy, and it's so contagious, especially when he starts wheezing. I could listen to it forever.

"Whats that sound?" Dream asks me once our laughter has died down.

Curious, I take one airpod out, just now noticing how aggressively the rain is hitting the window. The storm must be picking up, the rain pelting the window harder each second.

"It's just the rain." I say calmly, heading to my window to look outside.

"You must be getting hit by it pretty hard." Dream comments. "A storm pasted my town a couple hours ago, but it definitely wasn't that hard."

"It's pouring pretty hard, but I like this weather, it's calming." I mutter, watching the rainwater run down the street outside, everything completely drenched.

"Bonez, do you mind me asking where you live?" he asks, surprising me.  
"I mean, like the state. Maybe we live close?" he corrects himself, not wanting to sound like a creep.

I grin. "We'll, I've done some research on you and I've found out we do live pretty close Florida boy."

"And I thought I sounded creepy asking you where you live." Dream chuckles. "You're the one that stalked me."

"Pshh, no." I wave my hand, dismissing the fact that I technically had stalked him a little bit. "I was just doing my research like you said to do."

"Alright, lemme guess where you are. If I'm right, you have to tell me."

I agree as he starts, listing Florida first. He gets it on his third try, guessing Alabama before Georgia. I hum an approving note, letting him know he's gotten it correct.

"I live close to Florida though, it's maybe an hour drive to the border." I tell him.

"It's about an hour and a half for me!" Dream cheers excitedly. "We should try and meet up sometime!"

I grin sadly. The thought of that makes me extremely happy, but I know it could never happen. But he seems so happy, I can't ruin it. "Yeah, for sure!"

"It's just a little uncomfortable for me to show my face to anyone." he replies honestly, his voice lowering. "I wouldn't be comfortable with showing it just yet-"

My head immediately snaps towards my door as it slams open, interrupting Dream. Dylan then stumbles out of the hall, leaning against the doorframe as he makes eye contact with me.

I stare at Dylan in fear, my eyes wide as he angrily rushes towards me. Giving me no time to end or mute my call with Dream, he grabs me by the hair, yanking me to the ground. My phone slips out of my hand, sliding across the floor and under my pc setup.

I fall onto my knees in front of him and he crouches down in front of me, getting close to my face that's covered by my hair.

"Who the fuck is this Dream guy?!" he shouts, his voice slow and wobbly. Judging by the smell of his breath as he shouts in my face and the awkward way he walked, I can tell he's completely drunk.

One of his friends must've seen one of my streams and told him I've been playing with some guy called Dream.

I keep quiet, my eyes never leaving the floor as he waits for me to give him an answer.   
Staying quiet only aggravates him more; he shoves me back by my shoulders, causing me to fall on my back.   
Grunting, I use my arm to prop myself up as he approaches me again.He raises his hand in the air and swiftly brings it down on my cheek, making it sting.

"So you've been talking to another guy, huh?!" he grabs a fist full of my hood, using that to toss me to the side. "Answer me, Y/n!"

"I- It was just one call." I mumble, squeezing my eyes shut. I gasp for breath as a hard blow hits my stomach, right in the ribs. I begin to feel the hot tears streaming down my face as I sob.

"You fucking bitch!" he spits, raising his fist to punch me.

I put my arm out to try and block it or get him to stop, but he simply grabs my wrist and moves it out of the way before letting his fist fly at me, hitting me on the top of my cheekbone.

The punch causes me to cry out, the spot beside my eye stinging now as another warm liquid falls down my face; blood.

"I do so much for your useless ass! And this is how you repay me?!" he angrily shouts, repeatedly punching me in my chest and stomach. "You'd be nothing without me! If I hadn't stuck with you, you'd still be living with your shitty mom! I've had plenty of opportunities to kick your useless ass to the curb and get with a better girl! One that knows how to actually do shit! Do you hear me Y/n?!"

"I- I'm sorry-" I cry as he switches between throwing punches or kicks all over my body.

"You've made my life hell." he finally stands up, walking to the door. "I can't deal with your shit tonight. I'm staying the night at Austins. You better be waiting here when I get back in the morning, because you better believe what happened just now will happen again tomorrow."

He slams the door, stumbling down the stairs before opening and slamming the front door.

He leaves me lying on the ground again, this time in a much worse condition. My arms and legs already ache, covered in dark purple and blue bruises, along with my chest and stomach.

With a weak, shaky hand, I gently brush over the cut on my cheekbone, wiping the blood from my face. I sob loudly, the pain throughout my body making it difficult to move.

I gasp, covering my mouth and chocking back my sobs as I remember Dream is still on the call. He heard everything. Every word Dylan said to me. Every punch and kick he threw at me. Every time I cried and grunted as another punch connected with my body.

I force myself to get up to my knees, slowly crawling across the room towards my pc where my phone had been thrown. I find both of my airpods, which must've fallen out of my ears during the commotion, and put them on before grabbing my phone.

"H-Hello..." I shakily whisper, my voice unable to get any louder.

"Y/n...?" Dream quietly asks, his voice laced with worry and sadness. He uses my real name, having heard it from Dylan while he was shouting at me.

"Dream-" I choke, a sob escaping my lips as tears pour down my face. "I- I didn't t-tell you about Dylan... I'm so sorry"

"No, no, no. Shhh." he gently hushes me. "You didn't have to tell me, or anyone else anything if you weren't comfortable."

"But I lied..."

"No, you did absolutely nothing wrong." he assures me.

I hear him moving around quickly, a couple doors opening and shutting before I hear a car engine turn on.

"Y/n, I need you to send me your address right now, then go pack a bag of what you need."

"You can't seriously drive all the way here Dream, it's a two and a half hour drive." I mumble, still sitting on the floor. If I leave, Dylan will find out and get a hundred times more pissed than he already is. He'll make sure he finds me. "I'll be fine."

"No." he says sternly. "Theres no way in hell I'm letting you stay there any longer. Please, just send me your address, pack, then rest. I heard every single thing. You need to get away from him."

My bottom lip wobbles and I quickly wipe my runny nose. "Okay." I mumble.

I swipe to my text messages with Dream, staying on the call with him as I send my address. I can tell he's gotten it and set it into his gps once he starts driving.

"Please stay on the call the whole time, I need to make sure you're okay." Dream pleads.

I agree to stay on the call as I force myself up off the ground to pack a small bag with my necessities. After packing and logging out of my computer, I go lay on the couch, eventually falling asleep.

I wake up to Dreams voice calling my name and a light knocking at my door. He tells me that he's here and to come to the door so we can leave.

I grumble, whining from the pain throughout my body. He tries the doorknob, finding it unlocked, much to his disappointment.

When he opens the door, the smell and sound of rain enters the house.

I sit up on the couch as I hear Dream walking around my dark house, his wet shoes squeaking against the bare floor. "Dream?" I whisper, making sure it's one hundred percent him.

"Y/n." he mutters, coming towards me. He turns a lamp on beside the couch, illuminating the room with an orange glow.

I look up at him, my cheeks covered in dried tears and most likely a little bit of blood on the left side of my face. My eyes widen once I see him wearing a face mask and sunglasses, having just put them one when he turned the light on. I'm slightly disappointed as both objects cover his whole face.

"Dream." I sniffed, a new set of tears beginning to fall.

He quickly rushes to my side, wrapping my weak body in his wet arms. I can't see his expression because of the mask, but I can tell he's distraught, his lips tugged down into a frown.

I cry into his jacket for a couple moments, needing to feel this kind of comfort.

He pulls away to gently take my face in his warm hands, brushing my tears away with his thumbs before inspecting the cut on my cheek.

Dream sighs. "Lets clean this up then go."

He gently lifts me up in his arms, carrying me to the bathroom after I tell him where it is. His wet clothes stick to me, making my clothes a little wet too.

He sits me down on the counter, digging through a first aid kit before pulling out some alcohol wipes and a large bandaid.

I wince as he ever so gently dabs the alcohol pad against my skin, needing to clean my wound. I stare at him, taking in what I can see of his appearance as he cares for me. Noticing how his damp dirty blond hair sits around his glasses. His height causing his tall figure to bend his knees a bit to be level with me.

Once he's finished he carries me back to the couch as he goes to grab my bag upstairs. When he comes back down with my bag and an umbrella he found, we don't leave immediately. Instead, he sits beside me, pulling me into his arms again.  
I rest my head on his chest and he rests his chin on the top of my head, rubbing my back to comfort me.

"Let's get you away from here." Dream whispers after a minute.

He puts my backpack on and I stand up, my legs wobbling. I use his arm for support as we walk to the door.   
Dream opens the door and the umbrella, holding it over the two of us to protect us from the pouring rain.

He helps me into the car before rushing to the other side to get in, turning the car on and the heater up.  
Since it's too dark to see almost anything, he finally takes off his glasses so he can see better.

I lean my head against the window, watching the rain fall and the bright street lights pass by as Dream drives.

I'm actually leaving. No more Dylan. No more hitting, or shoving, or shouting. I'm finally leaving him behind. That thought calms me, but the other, louder thoughts scare me.  
What will he do when he finds out I left? What will he do to me? To Dream?  
I begin to cry again, stressed and worried about what'll happen.

Dream notices immediately. He frowns, reaching out and grabbing my hand tightly, intertwining our fingers.   
"Hey, it's okay. You're okay." he says softly. "Everything is going to be okay y/n. It may seem hard right now, but trust me, it'll get better."

He rubs his thumb against my hand, squeezing it. "You won't realize it right now, but you will later. You'll see yourself improve and become happy."

"I'll be here for you. Even if you don't want to talk about it, I'll be there. I won't let anything happen to you."

My heart flutters, his comforting and kind words bringing a small smile to my lips. "Thank you Dream."

He responds by giving my hand a quick, reassuring squeeze as he drives on a dark, almost empty freeway.

I fall asleep to the calming sounds around me, waking up about two hours later as a thought hits me. Dylan has my location on his phone.

Panic begins to set in again as I scramble to grab my phone, ripping my hand out of Dreams.

He glances over at me, confused. "What's wrong?"

"My location." I breathe. "Dylan can track my location."

He suddenly begins to worry too. "If you turn it off he won't be able to track you at all right?"

"He'll be able to track me as far as this point." I mumble, hurriedly slamming my finger on the button that stops sharing my location. "How far from your house are we?"

He cringes. "About thirty minutes."

I groan, my breathing quickening as putting my head in my hands. I'm so stupid. How could I forget that he can track me? Now instead of getting at least two and a half hours away from him, I'll only be thirty minutes.

"You'll be okay y/n. He won't know which way to go from this point, so he won't find you." Dream assures, intertwining our fingers once again.

I calm down, deciding that he's right. We're not staying here, we're going farther so he won't know which way we went.

The rest of the ride is spent in comfortable silence. The radio turned low so we can listen to the rain, the car warm and comfy, and Dreams hand gripping mine tightly.

We get to Dreams two story house at one am. It's too dark to look around, and we're too tired to do anything but sleep. Today has been a long and partially awful day.

Dream gives me the spare bedroom that's right by his on the second floor.

He sets my stuff down, helping me get into bed before saying goodnight and turning to leave, but I stop him before he can get to the door.

"Dream." he turns around, waiting for me to continue. I look down, hiding my face. "Can you stay?"

He nods his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Of course."

He sits down behind me at the top of the bed, leaning back against the headboard and pulling me between his legs. I lean back, my head resting on his chest and his arms wrapped tightly but carefully around my stomach.

Just as I'm about to fall asleep, I feel him shift.  
He takes off his face mask, placing it on the bedside table along with his glasses.

I could easily just look up and see his face, but I won't. He'll show me when or if he's ready, and I'll respect that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sheeeeesh , leave kudos stinkies :)


	6. Shopping

_I could easily just look up and see his face, but I won't. He'll show me when or if he's ready, and I'll respect that._

______________________

When I wake up the next morning, I feel something heavy weighing down on my chest.

Not knowing what it is, I begin to panic. My breath quickens and I start to shift uncontrollably.  
Just as I start moving, so does the thing on my chest.

I open my eyes, flinching from the bright light seeping through the closed curtains.  
I look down at my chest, meeting face to face with a multicolored, green eyed, cat.  
The cat looks as if it's glaring at me, upset I woke it from it's slumber.

I keep my hands away from the cat, worried it'll get even more pissed at me if I touch it or try to move it off of me.

I suddenly frown, wait. I don't have a fucking cat.

I do a double take of the room, finding it completely different from my own. It's an average sized room, large than the one I have though. It's not decorated much, just a bed, bedside table, and a plain large desk against the wall.

Looking from the cat to the room, I remember where I am and what had happened last night.   
I'm at Dreams house. He heard my boyfriend beat me, so he drove all the way to my house just to pick me up and bring me here. Away from Dylan.

Wait, would I even call Dylan my boyfriend?   
I didn't end things with him properly, so we're still technically together, but if me disappearing overnight doesn't scream "I'm fucking leaving your abusive ass" I don't know what will.

I should still text a short message or something saying we're done, Dylan doesn't ever understand what's happening around him, so it's best to just say it in the dumbest way possible.  
That way it'll get through his thick skull.  
I definitely wouldn't tell him where I went, or that I left with Dream.

Which, where is Dream? I just remember getting to his house late at night, and falling asleep on-  
Oh my gosh. I fell asleep on Dream. The very first time I've ever met him in real life, and I fell asleep on him.

He must've gotten uncomfortable and moved in the morning. He must be sleeping in his own room.

Suddenly, the cat begins moving on my chest, it's fur rubbing in my face. It sits up, it's paws stepping on my new bruises, causing me to wince and curse under my breath.

The cat stretches before moving to rub it's head against my hand. I pet it slightly before taking my hand away.

It looks at me, almost squaring up to me, mad Ima not petting it.   
After I still refuse to pet it, the cat begins to meow loudly. It continues complaining until I start petting it, but even then it still continues to meow loudly, this time it's just positive.

"Shhh." I hiss, trying to quiet the cat down before it wakes up Dream.

But this little bitch just won't shut up.  
I suddenly hear someone walking up the stairs, and I'm guessing it's Dream.

I glare at the cat. "Oh look, you've done it now."

It glares right back at me before somehow sassily moving down to the bottom of the bed, deciding I'm not even worthy of petting her or him.

I look towards the doorway just as a tall figure stops in it. He's wearing grey sweats, a plain white shit, and both his mask and sunglasses, covering his face. His messy hair is hanging over the top of the glasses.

**FUCK SOMEONE POINTED OUT I TYPED SHIT INSTEAD OF SHIRT,, I TYPE SHIT SO MUCH IT DIDNT AUTOCORRECT T-T ,, IM LEAVING SHIT IN FOR THE LOLS <3**

I can hear the grin on his face. "You're awake, good. Because I made..." he pauses, pulling a plate of food from behind the wall where he was hiding his left hand. "Breakfast!"

He happily makes his way to the bed as I sit up, immediately wincing from my bruises on my stomach.

His smile falters as he sets the plate on the bedside table. He sits on the edge of the bed, right next to me. "Is it the bruises?"

I sigh deeply, rubbing my face and nodding before turning toward the delicious looking plate of food beside me.

"Oh right! You gotta eat!" he realizes after watching me stare at the plate of food.

He gives me the plate filled with food; Eggs, waffles, tangerine slices, and bacon.

"Thank you Dream." I mumble before digging into the food.  
He hums happily, watching me scarf down my meal.

The cat suddenly approaches me again, sitting beside me and eyeing my plate.   
"No cat." I mumble, pushing its face away as I goes towards my meal.

She tries to swipe at my eggs with its paw but I smack it away before it could do anything. "You damn cat, this is my food!"

Dream begins laughing as me and his cat fight. I eventually win, obviously because I'm a big human and that's just a small cat.

She walks away, purposely stepping on my legs as she heads into Dreams arms.

"This is Patches." he laughs, petting the beast.

"Well I don't think Patches likes me." I pout, taking one of my last bites of waffle.

"I'm sure she likes you." Dream snorted. "She just has to get used to you, that's all."

Patches purrs in Dreams arms as he gives her tons of love and affection. All while I polish off my plate, placing it beside my bed once I've finished.

After a couple moments of silence, the only sound being Patches purring, Dream sighs. "So uh, you're phone has been blowing up with notifications from..." he becomes quiet at the end of his sentence, not wanting to say the name of who's been spamming me with calls and messages.   
But I don't need to hear Dream confirm it, I already know exactly who it is. But I don't know if I can confront him about leaving.

Dream slips my phone out from his pocket, having found it on a countertop downstairs. "If you're not comfortable, we don't have to reply. But I think you should at some point, just to officially get rid of him."

I look up at him, staring at the mask covering his mouth and nose. Did he say we? Is he really going to help me even more than he already has?

I look back down in shame, fidgeting with my fingers in my lap. "Dream, you don't have to help me anymore. You've already done so much for me."

"Hey," he says softly, grabbing my hand. "When I said I'm going to be right beside you through all of this I meant it, okay?"

A sad smile forms on my lips as I nod, wiping my nose before grabbing my phone off the bed. "We should do this now, just so he'll leave me alone."

"Are you sure?" he puts his hand on my arm.

I nod, using face ID to unlock my phone, the notification now able to be read from the lock screen. I see multiple missed calls and tons of messages on Imessage, Instagram, and Twitter. All of which are from, you guessed it, Dylan.

I swipe up on the screen, unlocking my phone and sitting on the home screen. The angry red bubbles on each app almost shouting Dylan's words at me.

Dream watches beside me as I click on Imessage, then his messages that he had sent at nine am, only an hour ago.

_Dylan <3_   
_Where the fuck are you?_   
_Why aren't you at the damn house?_   
_You fucking whore_   
_You made me look like such an idiot last night when Josh told me about you streaming with some guy_   
_And now you're fucking gone_   
_You better get the fuck back here right now_   
_I bet you're slutty ass is with that Dream guy, huh?_

Those aren't even all the message he spammed. But the last message he sent is what gets to me the most, having heard him say all the other things to me before. It seems so chilling how he knows I'm with Dream. I could've just run away after that beating he gave me last night, but he immediately guesses I've run off with Dream.

I worriedly look up at Dream, his eyebrows knitted together at the top of the sunglasses as he's still reading through the messages, not yet getting to the last one.  
I'm unable to see, but his expression goes from angry, to worried, his eyes widening once he gets to the part about himself. He clenches his jaw tight, his expression immediately going back to pissed.

"How do I even respond?" I whisper, fear evident in my voice.

"Just get straight to the point so you don't have to text with him." Dream answers. "Just tell him that you and him are over, and that you're never going back."

I nod, shakily typing exactly what Dream had told me to before hesitantly hitting send.   
I shove my phone into Dreams hands, not wanting to see what Dylan texts back.

Dream watches the phone, his expression blank as he waits for Dylan too see and respond to the message.

After a moment, Dream taps my thigh, indicating that Dylan is texting back.   
I nervously look at my phone in Dreams hands, firmly gripping the blonds forearm .

_Dylan <3_   
_The fuck you mean?_   
_Just get back home and we'll have a talk about this_   
_If you're with that Dream guy do you really think he's going to stay with you?_   
_He's just going to leave you alone. I won't_

I freeze, slowly letting go of Dreams forearm.   
What if Dylan's right? Dream is helping me now, but what about later? I'm just a burden to him too now. What happens when he realizes that? What if he kicks me out?  
What if it's best to suck it up and stay with Dylan? Someone who I know won't leave.

As if Dream can read my thoughts, he puts the phone down and pulls me into a comforting hug.   
"I'll never leave you okay? Please don't let him get into your head again." he mumbles, his face buried in the crook of my neck.

I slowly wrap my arms around him, tears I hadn't even realized were there, falling down my cheeks and onto his shoulder.   
"Okay." I mumble. "I trust you."

I feel him let out a sigh of relief, keeping me wrapped up in his arms for a moment longer before finally letting go. My arms and body immediately feeling colder.

"Okay, can you finish texting him, or do you need me to?" he asks.

I nod my head at him, needing him to do it since I'm unable to even look at the messages without crying more.

He quickly types out a response, going over it with me before he hits send.

_Dylan, we're done, nothing you ever say will change my mind about it. Deal with that and the fact that I'm never coming back. Now, don't reach out to me ever again._

Immediately after hitting send, Dream blocks Dylan's contact, making sure he can't send me any more messages. He then goes to my private Instagram and Twitter that Dylan follows, not even bothering to view the messages there before blocking Dylan. Now he won't be able to reach out to me anymore.

We sit in silence for a moment, soaking in the relief of me finally being free from Dylan, before Dream interrupts it by clearing his throat.  
"So uh, I know that was really tough to do, so I just wanted to let you know that I'm proud of you." 

I wipe my wet cheeks, my eyes widening. "Really?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah, that was very brave of you to do." he smiles warmly, reaching out for my hands and gripping them tightly. "How about we go shopping for you today? Get your mind off things and enjoy yourself, everything's on me."

I look at him in disbelief. How could someone even be this kind and caring?   
"Dream that seems like to much. You helping me is amazing enough." I shake my head, my hands still gripped by his own.

"Please, y/n." he begs. "I want to do this, all of this. For you."

My heart flutters at his words. He wants to do all this, just for me? Even when he gets nothing out of it?

He must be able to tell I'm still hesitant because he pulls me closer, his pleading more in my face now.

"Okay." I finally agree, but with one condition. "But we're absolutely _not_ spending a lot."

He hums, a sly grin on his face. "We'll see princess."

I blush madly, my face overheating like a phone left in the sun for an hour.

"Dream!" I exclaim, covering my face with one hand while shoving him off the bed with the other, not needing much strength since he was sitting right in the edge.

He grunts as he hits the ground, falling onto his back.  
I worriedly peek out from between my fingers, before removing them from my face completely.

"I'm so sorry!" I quickly apologize.

He laughs, waving it off. "Definitely didn't think you'd do that."

"I said sorry." I repeat.

"It's okay, I'm fine."

He groans as he gets up off the ground, brushing himself off. His figure now stands tall above me as I sit on the bed in the same position I've been in this whole time.

"I'll go get dressed and wait for you to do the same before we leave, alright?" he gets up, heading towards the door.

I nod as he stands in the doorway. "I'll get ready then."

He grins, snapping and giving two thumbs up before shutting my door and going to his room.

I shake my head, chuckling to myself before slowly getting up out of bed and getting dressed.

I didn't really bring many clothes, not knowing what to pack at all. I grab a pair of grey sweats and a regular dark blue t-shirt, not really having anything else to choose from.  
I head just across the hall to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth, having packed my toothbrush and my hairbrush.

Once I'm finished I take a step back and look at myself in the mirror. I sigh as I shift my shirt to hide the bruises along my collarbone. I take a look at my arms, unable to hide one that's poking out from the short sleeve of my shirt.  
I run my fingers across the purplish blue bruise, wincing as I push down on it a bit.

Suddenly, there's a knock on my door and Dream calls out my name. "You okay in there?"

"Oh uh, yeah!" I call out, hurrying to grab my stuff.

I open the door, being greeted by Dream standing in the other side. He's wearing blue jeans and a grey long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"Ready?" he asks.

I nod, going to put my stuff away before we leave.

The car ride is spent in comfortable silence, both of us just listening to the music on the radio as Dream drives.

Once we get to the large indoor mall he excitedly pulls me inside.

"Dream! Slow down!" I shout out to his figure up ahead, laughing as I walk to get to him. "Why are you more excited than I am?"

He nervously laughs, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm just excited to help you. I think this'll be fun."

"Okay, but don't leave me." I smile, looping my arm through his so I won't lose him in the crowd.

It's Sunday so I expected the mall to be at least a little crowded, but I definitely wasn't expecting there to be this many people shopping.

"I won't." he laughs. "Where to first?"

"Uh," I look around, noticing there's a second floor to this giant mall. I see a PacSun, deciding that's the best place to start. "Let's go there."

I pull him across the mall floor towards the store, dragging him through the racks of clothes, picking out a couple things before heading to the dressing room.

Dream sits on a chair just outside my changing room, waiting as I try on the first outfit.  
The first is a dark blue and white stripped sweater, and black jeans that are ripped at the knees.

Admiring myself in the mirror, I decide I like it.   
I take it off and grab a set I'm not too sure about right now; a white tank top with a pair of light blue, high waisted mom jeans.

I stare at myself in the mirror for a couple minutes, not saying anything, just lightly running my fingers over the bruises lining my collar bone and upper arm.  
My chest tightens and tears begin welling up in my eyes for about the hundredth time in just two days. It looks horrible, I could never wear this outside when you can very obviously see the bruises.

There's a light knocking on the door. "Y/n? Are you okay." Dream asks after I haven't come out for a couple minutes.

I sniff, swiping my eyes. "Yeah." I mumble, trying and failing to hide the fact that I've been crying.

"What's wrong? Please open the door."

I hesitantly unlock and open the door, Dreams eyes widening once he sees me. "Y/n..."   
He suddenly looks back, the sound of voices coming closer. He hurriedly shuts the door, knowing I wouldn't want anyone to see me, especially like this.

He locks it before stepping closer to me. He gently grasps my hands, looking right at me, but I don't look up. Instead I keep my gaze on the ground.

"You look gorgeous." he comments, loud enough so that only I can hear him.

I glance up at him, his mask and sunglasses not allowing me to see his face.

"No, it's ugly." I mumble, turning away again. "I can't wear this because you can see the bruises."

He gently grabs my chin, moving my head so that I'm looking right at him. "You're gorgeous no matter what. Those will go away soon, and you'll feel more confident again. If you don't want to wear something like this just yet, that's perfectly okay, there's nothing wrong with buying it for later."

I smile sadly. "I feel like I've been saying this way too much lately, but thank you Dream."

"There's no need to thank me." he pulls me into a hug.

Once he lets go, he goes back outside to wait for me to change back into my regular clothes.

I exit the changing rooms, those two outfits sitting on my arm. After arguing about who'll pay, Dream wins, sliding his card into the reader while I was too busy trying to convince him to let me pay.

We head to a couple more stores, getting a couple more things for myself. I even got to pay for a lot of the stuff, not wanting to waste Dreams money on myself.

After a few more hours of shopping, we head to eat, Dream refusing to let me pay for lunch. We walk around for a little bit longer before heading back to Dreams house once it becomes darker, the weather getting cooler.

"Wanna watch a movie?" he asks, unlocking and opening the front door.

"Of course." I grin, running up the stairs to throw my bags in my room and change into pajamas before heading back down.

When I get to the living room Dream has already turned the Tv on to something random while we pick what to watch. Dreams in the kitchen, leaning against the countertop on his phone while he waits for something in the microwave, and by the amazing smell in the house, I can tell it's popcorn.

I head to the couch, sitting down in the corner seat and pulling the blankets all the way up to my chin, waiting for Dream. It's a cold night outside, and I hate wearing long bottoms and shirts when sleeping, it's much better to just snuggle up in a blanket.

The blond grabs the popcorn from the microwave, setting it on the coffee table in front of the couch before jogging upstairs to change into something more comfortable.

When he comes back, he grabs both the popcorn and controller off the table and sits right next to me. Why would he? The entire couch is empty, but of course I don't mind sitting next to him. It makes it comfier and more cozy.

After a couple minutes of us going back and forth with reasons on who should get to choose the movie, I win. I snatch the controller from his hands, putting on the first Maze Runner movie. Having already watched this movie multiple times, I already know what happens, but I'm absolutely in love with the characters, especially Newt.

Dream doesn't protest, deciding to go along with it since he hasn't seen this movie yet.

After a while I feel my eyes begin to droop, the days events finally catching up with me. I shift, subconsciously moving closer to Dream and resting my tired head on his shoulder.

He stiffens up for a moment before relaxing. "Goodnight Y/n." he whispers.

I sigh in contentment, closing my eyes. "Goodnight Dream." I mumble.

He chuckles lightly. "Just call me Clay now."

I smile to myself, too close to sleep to reply or even comprehend what he had just said. I'll remember tomorrow, but right now I really need some fucking sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> k i'm back ,, a reminder that ur sexy asf


	7. Pretty Boy Swag

_He chuckles lightly. "Just call me Clay now."_

_I smile to myself, too close to sleep to reply or even comprehend what he had just said. I'll remember tomorrow, but right now I really need some fucking sleep._

______________________

The next three days have seemed to fly right by. Dylan hasn't been able to reach out to me, that or he hasn't tried to after getting blocked, which has been good. I never know what he'll do which is why I've always been scared of him, and the reason I've been scared to tell anyone about what happens behind closed doors.

But now that I no longer have to deal with him, it feels as if a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.

After that night Dream told me his real name, he's been making sure I call him by it now. Correcting me whenever I accidentally call him Dream instead of Clay.

Yesterday, the two of us went out shopping, getting food for the week and a couple new pieces of furniture for my room, which we have yet to actually assemble. Clay said that the room is now mine and that he wants me to decorate it however I want.

I didn't get a lot things, only a couple potted and hanging plants and a desk along with a chair.   
The desk is currently empty since I'll be needing to buy myself a new pc. My old one is at Dylan's, and there's no way I'm ever going back to pick it up.   
It's fine though, that pc was getting a little old anyways so I've been slowly saving up for a new and better one. It'll be more expensive, especially since I also need a new headset, mouse and keyboard, and all that other good gamer stuff but I'll get there.

I still get a little over emotional every time I think of how kind Clay was to completely take me into his home and give me a room, but I'm pretty sure I've grown out of the emotionally crying stage and into the normal, silently forever thankful stage. Which is much better.

Thursday morning I wake up how I usually do now, with Patches laying right beside me.  
I don't know how she doesn't get squished by me in my sleep but she stays all through the night.

I'm pretty sure the cat still doesn't like me much because every time I wake up and go to pet her she bolts out of my room and towards Clays.

Which is exactly what happened just now.   
"Ugh, damn cat! You _will_ like me soon!" I shout out, sitting up in bed.

I hear Clay begin to laugh down the hall, unable to contain himself.

I glare at the door to the hall, throwing the blankets off my legs before storming down the hall to Clay's room. I stop in his doorway, crossing my arms and pouting as he continues to laugh and pet Patches.

He's sitting up in his bed, his cat in his lap, rubbing its head against Clays arm. I can hear the cat happily purring all the way across the room.  
Looking from Patches in Clays lap, up to his face, my frown deepens. He has his mask on and is adjusting the sunglasses that cover his eyes, meaning he must've quickly thrown them on once Patches ran in.

I don't know why it's bothering me so much, it shouldn't be. He's literally done so much for me, the least I can do for him is not complain or be bothered about him hiding his face from me. But I can't help it. If I'm living here with him then how long can he keep this up?   
He's seen me at one of the lowest points I've had in my life, he helped me all the way through it.

I get not showing his face to his millions of fans, I do the exact same thing, but why hide it from me and even his closest friends? Does he not trust us?

"Y/n?" Clay says, gaining my attention.

I shake my head, leaning against the doorframe. "Sorry, spaced out a bit there. What'd you say?"

"I just asked how you slept." he smiles.

"Oh, uh. It was good." I blush, looking down at the ground, away from him. "How was yours?" I mumble.

"Good, it was kinda cold though." he stretches, Patches getting scared and running past my legs, down the stairs.

"My rooms hot."

Clay shifts his head towards me, but I'm unable to read his expression. "Are you trying to suggest that I should sleep with you?" he smirks.

My eyes widen and my face flushes an even deeper shade of red. "N-no! I- I wasn't- I didn't mean it like that! I was just-"

Clay laughs, getting up out of his bed and walking towards me.  
"I was just teasing." he smirks, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Oh." I squeak, the massive blush still not leaving my face.   
_Is it hot in here? Clay said it's cold, but it definitely feels hot as hell in here._

"Come on." he says, running his hand through his hair. "I'll make us breakfast, then we can build that desk and chair in your room."

He walks down the hall, stopping as he turns the corner once he realizes I'm not following. He peeks his head around the corner. "You comin'?"

I nod vigorously, heading towards the stairs. "Dre- I mean Clay?"

"Yeeees?" he asks, jumping down the rest of the stairs once he reaches the fourth step up.

"Can I make us breakfast?"

He turns around, grinning widely up at me. "Of course you can. Now I can't wait."

I smile, heading past him as he takes a seat on a barstool in front of the kitchen.

I assume he'll go on his phone while he waits, so I get straight to it. Making french toast, a meal I used to eat every Sunday morning with my dad before he passed.

I preheat the oven before grabbing four slices of bread, and all the other things that are needed.   
As I start whisking together the ingredients, I look up and notice Clay staring at me, his head resting on his palm as he watches me bake.

I grin, looking back down so I don't become even more flustered than I already am.   
The oven beeps, signaling it's at my desired temperature. I quickly dunk the pieces of bread into the mixture I just whisked together, putting them all onto a tray before sliding them in the oven for about fifteen minutes.

I lean against the counter as I wait, taking a glance at Clay. He's moved positions so that his head is lying against the countertop, but he's still looking at me, either that or he's sleeping, I can't tell because of the glasses.

"Clay?" I ask, getting his attention and tilting my head so it's the same direction as his. "What are you doing?"

"I'm watching you make breakfast, duh." he smiles. "French toast is a good choice, why'd you pick it?"

I bite my lip. "I used to eat this with my dad all the time." I smile thinking back to our talks at the table. They were always happy and silly.

"Oo, tell me about your dad." Clay perks up.

My smile turns into a frown. I sigh, looking down at the kitchen floor. Here I go, sharing yet another large part of my past with Clay.  
"He was the best person I knew, he always did the right thing, and was so hardworking. He wanted to make sure I had a good childhood, something my mom couldn't give me."

"He was? What happened?" Clay questions, oblivious to the fact that he had died.

"He passed away when I was eight." I mumbled, frowning as I look up at him.

He seems taken back. "I'm so sorry y/n, I shouldn't have asked you about him."

I chuckle slightly, shaking my head. "It's alright, you couldn't have known. Besides, he always was a talker so I'm sure he'd like me talking about him."

Of course I miss him so much, but it's been about twelve years since he passed, and it feels better to talk about him anyways.

"You know, he would've loved to meet you Clay."

"Really?" the blond perks up once again, excitement and joy in his voice.

"Yup." I laugh. "You two would've gotten along well. You both have those lame dad jokes."

"Hey, they are not lame!"

"Sure, Clay." I giggle, rolling my eyes.

After a couple minutes, the oven beeps. I take the tray out, letting the bread cool before putting them on plates to decorate them a bit.

Once I finish, I slide two identical plates of food across the counter, heading out of the kitchen and sitting beside Clay on a barstool.

I watch as he lifts the bottom of his mask to take a bite, exposing to me just a bit of what he's kept hidden. I cant see but his eyes widen as he turns towards me.

"This is so good!" he exclaims, his mouth full.

I flinch away from the disgusting sight. "Close your mouth, you nasty!"

"Whoops." he chuckles, chewing and swallowing his food.

We sit and eat our french toast, laughing as we tell random jokes.  
I push my plate out in front of me once I'm done, stuffed from the bombass french toast I had made.

Clay grabs both our plates, bringing them to the sink to wash them. _How is he not in a food coma? I'm absolutely stuffed right now._

I jump as my phone suddenly starts buzzing. I look around all over for it as someone continues to call me. _Where did I put it?_

I finally spot it hidden behind a mug Clay uses to put his pens and pencils in. I reach across the counter and grab it, looking at who's calling me.

"Who is it?" Clay cautiously asks.

I raise my brows, surprised as I look at the caller ID. "It's George and Sapnap. They're group face timing me."

Clay turns the sink off and rushes around the counter to the side I'm on. "Answer, but don't show me yet."

I nod, picking up the phone.

"Bonez!" they both cheer happily. "We were worried about you!"

I furrow my brows, quickly glancing at Clay before back down at the two boys on the call. "Uh, why would you be worried? And you don't have to call me Bonez, that seems a little silly unless we're streaming. My real name is y/n. "

"Oh wow, name reveal. We're taking it to the next level." George jokes before becoming serious again. "Back to the point though, you literally haven't streamed in like four days."

"Yeah, we know you stream almost everyday too." Sapnap adds, the two of them apparently very familiar with my streaming schedule.

"Thanks for worrying guys." I laugh nervously.

They both frown.  
"Are you okay?" George asks.

I nervously gulp. Do I tell them what happened, or just where I am? I hadn't even thought about saying anything. I haven't tweeted out anything, so everyone that knows my schedule must be confused as to why I haven't streamed in a little.

I definitely won't be telling my viewers what happened, but I should probably tell George and Sapnap. I trust them enough to keep this secret.

Clay taps my thigh, causing me to turn attention to him. He quickly reached towards my phone, muting the call before speaking.  
"I think you should tell them."

I tilt my phone so they can't see my mouth as I talk. "I don't want others to know about Dylan. I didn't even want _anyone_ to find out about him."

Clay nods in understanding. "Don't bring him up, but you should tell them something happened."

I nod, turning back to my phone. It was probably very strange how I went on mute for so long, so they must know somethings up.

I unmute myself before speaking. "Uh, something happened a couple days ago."

I look at both of them and see they're watching me, waiting for me to go on.

"Something really bad happened to me at my house, and someone had, let's say witnessed it, so they came and took me away from home. It's hard to talk about though."

They stare at the screen in shock, most likely not expecting to hear that.

"Are you okay?!" Sapnap exclaims, getting closer to the screen as he tries to look me over for any injuries.

"I am now, thank you Sapnap."

"Thankfully you're okay." Sapnap sighs. "And my names Nick, since we'll just go by our actual names now."

"I'm glad that you're okay now." George sighs. "But, who's the person who came and picked you up? I know they're sitting beside you now."

Nick nods, agreeing with George.

I turn towards the blond beside me, silently questioning if I should show them.

He grins, putting his hand out and waiting for me to put the phone in his hand.  
I give him the phone, quickly moving to stand behind him, peeking over his shoulder as he holds the camera in front of him.

"Is that Dream?!" Nick shouts extremely loud, causing the two of us to jump.

"Sapnap! There's no need to shout!" Clay jokingly scolds.

"Dream? _You_ were the one that picked her up?" George asks, confused.

Clay and I nod in unison.

"So she's a Florida girl, huh?" Nick says.

"Actually I'm from Georgia." I laugh.

"We lived a little over two hours away from each other, that's why I was able to pick her up quickly." Clay states, clearing some stuff up for the boys.

"So you two live together now?" George asks, suspiciously raising an eyebrow.   
The two of us sheepishly nod.

"Oooo," Nick giggles, wiggling his brows. "Does Dream smell? His house is messy and small huh. His setup isn't that cool right? How hot is he on a scale from one to ten?"

My eyes widen at all the questions Nick threw at me, I try to do my best to answer them, one staying on my mind and bothering me, not because Nick had asked it though.  
"Dream actually doesn't smell bad, his house is big and everything is clean except for his room, his setup is pretty sweet, and I uh... I don't know the last one."

"What do you mean you don't know? Tell us what you think of Dream." George laughs.

"I can't because he hasn't shown me." I mutter, disappointed and just a little annoyed.

"You mean Dream hasn't taken that mask and glasses off in front of you at all yet?" George questions, not believing me at first.

"No."

"The face will be revealed to us three one day." Nick announces across the call.

"Maybe some other time." Clay chuckles, awkwardly rubbing his neck.

The room goes quiet, no one talking.

"We'll since you two are together, I guess we have to head on over to Dreams too!" Nick happily suggests. "You know, we gotta complete the Dream team!"

George chuckles, trying to get everyone past the awkward situation too. "Yeah, that'd be really fun."

The four of us continue talking on the phone, George and Nick looking up flights they can take to Florida while Clay and I quietly listen.  
Once the two of them excitedly find a flight that fits in their free time, they actually book it. No doubt or second guessing at all.

We talk with them for a little while longer. Well it was mostly Nick and George talking, while Clay and I awkwardly sit beside each other in view of the camera that's propped up against the faucet.

Clay suggests some places we can go while they're here, George looking them up while Nick looks up restaurants around Clay's house.

After a little while we hang up with the two boys, heading up to my room since Clay suggested we build the desk and chair for my room before it gets too late.

We sit on the ground in silence, quiet music playing from a speaker. The chair complete and pushed to the side, the parts for the desk lying scattered on the floor.

My phone suddenly lights up beside me. I look down and see a bunch notifications rolling in from Twitter, tons of my fans mentioning me in tweets, wondering why I've been so quiet.

"You need to tell them something happened. They know your streaming schedule, so they know that you not going live means somethings up." Clay speaks up after noticing me staring at the messages.

So the first thing he's going to say to me after all this silence, is tell me what to share with my viewers? Nuh, uh. He has some nerve.

I glance up at him as he screws together two of the planks. "I'm not going to do that, but thanks for telling me." I spit, sarcasm oozing from my mouth.

"Don't you understand that people just need to know you're okay." Clay says, his voice rising as he becomes irritated. "All you have to do is say everything's fine and you're taking a break!"

"They'll just ask why! And I don't want to have to make my private life public!" I exclaim. "Just like you don't want to!"

"This is diff-" he tries to put in, but I don't let him.

"Hell, you won't even show me your fucking face!" I laugh bitterly before looking at him with a hurt expression. "Do you not trust me?! Do you really think I'll judge you because of what you look like?!"

"Don't try to just change the subject!"

"Oh so you don't want to bring that up, huh?!" I glare at him, continuing on. "So while I was showing you how much I trust you by opening up, you just continue to hide yourself from me!" I shout.

He drops the pieces of furniture he was assembling, just now looking up at me. "I said multiple times that I want to keep my face hidden! I'm insecure and I worry about what others will think!"

"So you think I'm the type of person to judge people based on what they look like?!" I shout. "Is that the type of person you see me as?!"

"No." he grumbles, turning away.

"It's just completely fucking ridiculous that you want to hide yourself from me! We live together for fucks sake!"

He suddenly stands up, his fists clenched tightly and his breathing quick as he tries to control it. He stands five feet from me, towering above me as I sit, angry and hurt.

"I can't do this right now." he mutters, turning and heading towards the door. "All I've done is help you, but if you wanted to turn this whole thing against me, then whatever."

Clay adjusts the mask on his face, making sure the material is pulled over his nose. He opens the door, stopping just before he closes it and exits. "Since you don't want anymore of my help, I'll let you build the desk by yourself."

And with that, he shuts the door.

I sit on the hard floor, staring in shock at the door Clay just left through. I feel anger, sadness, hurt. And just like usual, I go through it alone.

My heart tightens in my chest and it becomes harder to breathe, hot tears beginning to stream down my face. I pull my knees up to my chest, lying my head on them.

Now that the moments over, I regret everything I said. I shouldn't have tried to get him to show me his face. I pushed him so much on a topic so private to him, even he hit his limit.

Yet Clays limit is different. He gets to a point where he just can't argue back anymore, so he does his best to gather himself before leaving. And it takes a lot to get him there, or you just have to hit that sensitive topic. Like I did.

Dylan on the other hand was very different. His limit was so low, any small screwup I did sent him into a fit of anger. And unlike Clay's peaceful and nonviolent way of expressing his anger, Dylan was aggressive and violent. He got any hit he could get on me.

Which is why I don't know what to do right now. I'm so used to hurting physically right now, but instead it's all just in my head. Dylan would hurt me, but Clay wouldn't do such a thing.

I hear the water from the shower in his room start running.

I feel horrible for what I said to him. What was I thinking? Clay's the best thing that's happened to me ever since my dad died, and I'm on the verge of losing him.

I sit on the floor with my head in my hands, going over what I can do to try and fix this.   
After a couple minutes I stand up, rubbing my cheeks dry. I need to just talk and fix everything right now, no plan.

I rush to my door, swinging it open and dashing through, only to smack against something. I stumble back, looking up at Clay.

I feel more tears fall down my face the moment I look up at him.   
"Clay, I'm so sorry." I cry, looking down in shame.

I feel his arms wrap around me, pulling me close to his body and into a tight embrace. I cry into his chest as he shushes me, rubbing my back comfortingly.

"I'm the one who's sorry." Clay says. "You're right, I shouldn't be scared to show you what I look like. And I was way too harsh with my words too."

Picking my head up, I look up at Clay, shaking my head. "No, it was wrong of me to pressure you. I don't want you to show your face if you're not comfortable."

He gently pushes me back, taking a deep breath. "No, I really want to show you. It's not fair to you."  
A small, sad smile tugs at his lips. "It is pretty ridiculous to hide my face from you."

I chuckle lightly, shaking my head. "I shouldn't have said that."

Clay grabs my hand, pulling me towards my bed. We both sit down in front of each other.

"Okay, I'll uh, take it off now." he says nervously, his hands shakily reaching to his ears where the straps for his face mask are hooked. He hesitates, unable to take it off..

I crawl across the bed, sitting on my knees directly in front of him. I look at him, silently asking for permission as I reach my hands up. He slowly nods, allowing me to take it off for him.

I move his hair out of the way before sliding the loops off his ears. Clay takes a visible deep and shaky breath once he feels the mask loosen against his face.

I keep the mask held against his face for a moment, letting him calm down before I do anything.

After a moment, he finally nods to me.  
I slowly let the mask fall from his face, taking his sunglasses off too. I put the mask to the side as I stare at his face.

Clay has his eyes shut tight, his eyebrows pulled together. I gently cup his face with my hands, rubbing my thumb across his lightly freckled cheeks.

"Clay," I say softly. "please open your eyes."

He hesitates, almost deciding if he should or shouldn't. I move closer to him on the bed, almost no space between us now.

His eyes slowly open and I smile brightly. The light in the room lighting up his bright and vibrant emerald eyes as they stare into my own eyes. But his eyes also show fear and worry, something I don't want to see.

"Clay, you look perfect." I soothe. "There's absolutely nothing I would change about you."

He sighs, placing his hand on top of mine, a huge weight lifted off his chest. "Thank you y/n."

I can't stop grinning and staring at every little detail on his face. The way his freckles scatter across his nose as they taper off towards the sides of his cheeks. His gorgeous and mesmerizing green eyes as they stare at me, watching as I soak up every detail. Some of his blond hair lightly falling in front of his face.  
His face feels complete now, more features to go and match with his mouth I saw earlier. I swipe the stray pieces of hair out of his face.

Clay glances at my phone as it lights up with notifications, the time popping up.  
"Wow, ten thirty." he nervously mutters, looking back at me. "We should head to bed, it's late."

He climbs off the bed, but I stop him before he can move away from the bed. "Clay."

He turns around, his eyes looking directly at me.

"Stay with me." I mumble, turning to hide my embarrassment. "Please."

He chuckles, nodding and walking back towards the bed. He gets in, both of us already in our pajamas. I pull the blanket up, turning on my side to face him as he does the same. He reaches out and pulls me closer to him.

"Thank you." he whispers. "I'm glad you're the one I can share this moment with."

I blush, smiling as I look at him, finally able to see the blush on his cheeks.   
"You look even better blushing." I tease him, poking his nose. This causes him to blush harder.

"Thank you for making this easier."

"Clay, you don't have to keep thanking me." I laugh.

"That's what I told you, but you kept doing it." he points out. "So I'm going to be doing the same thing."

"Okay." I grin, rolling my eyes playfully.

"Goodnight y/n." he says, turning to lay on his back and pulling me right against him.

I rest my head against his chest. "Goodnight Clay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> drink water rn , its so yummy


	8. Sugar Daddy Dweam

_"Goodnight y/n." he says, turning to lay on his back and pulling me right against him._

_I rest my head against his chest. "Goodnight Clay."_

______________________

I slowly open my eyes, needing to blink a couple times to get used to the sunlight pouring into the room.

I try to sit up but a weight across my stomach keeps me down. I rub my eyes before turning to the side, seeing Clays sleeping face, his arm draped over me.

I quietly stare at him, his actual face that's not hidden behind some mask and glasses. Last night wasn't some dream, or nightmare, whichever. All those events happened, from our fight to Clay showing me his face.

I'm glad he was able to face one of his fears and insecurities and show his face to me at least, I don't think Nick and George will get that lucky when they visit for the week, which is actually in a week and a half. I just wish I hadn't been so pushy about it, guilt creeping up a little.

I reach my hand up and gently run my fingers across his cheek, going over the little freckles across his nose and cheeks.

He suddenly shifts, his eyes fluttering open. He blinks a couple times before finally noticing it's me in front of him, a tired smile stretching across his face.

I wear a matching one as I stare into his green eyes. They're so mesmerizing, I could get lost in them, and I'd be damn glad.

"Good morning." he mumbles, his voice husky from just waking up.

I blush, pulling my hand away from his face. "Good morning."

He chuckles, sitting up in the bed and stretching his tired limbs. Patches sprinting off the bed, which I hadn't even known she was there.   
"You know, I was thinking of something we can do today." he says.

I sit up beside him. "Oh yeah? What'd you come up with?"

"Well, I was thinking we can go out for lunch then ice cream. It's pretty hot out today so now you can wear those new clothes you got!"

My smile falters at the thought of wearing the tank top, and Clay seems to notice.

"What's wrong?" he asks worriedly. "Do you not wanna do that."

"No it's not that, I definitely want to go out. It's just..." I sigh, pulling the collar of my pajama shirt down. "The bruises haven't all completely gone away."

He looks at my exposed skin, the bruises there light. Most of them have gone away, like the ones on my arms, but a couple are still lightly visible. If I wear the tank top the ones on my collarbone can be seen, but the ones on my stomach will be covered.

"You don't have to wear it if you're uncomfortable." he tells me. "I think you'll look pretty no matter what you wear."

I blush, mumbling a quiet thank you.   
I make up my mind, deciding to wear one of my new tank tops. It'll be hot and people won't notice a couple tiny bruises.

I sigh contently, plopping back down on the comfy bed, Clay sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Suddenly, Clay's phone starts ringing on the bedside table. I peek over him and notice it's a face time call from George and Nick.  
Clay looks and quickly jumps out of the bed, rushing to his room to grab his mask and sunglasses before he misses the call.

He runs back in with both already on, jumping on the bed and sitting down. He grabs his phone, gesturing for me to keep quiet as he answers. "Hey guys."

"Hey Dream." they both say in sync.

Nick then speaks. "Whatcha doing."

Clay laughs, confused. "I'm still in bed, just got up."

"Nice."

They get quiet before George talks. "So uh, how are you and y/n doing. I know it was a little awkward at the end of our call yesterday."

"We just want to check up." Nick adds.

Clay nods. "We're fine, problems have been resolved."

"Where-" George begins before Nick cuts him off.  
"Dream, that's not your room."

Clay gets caught off guard by Nicks random and sudden comment. He stays silent, nervously fidgeting with the patch on his sweats, a gator.

"Where are you?" Nick questions, a large smirk plastered on his face.

Clay is so lucky his mask is covering his face from the front because from my angle beside him I can see a blush poking out from the top of the face mask, the glasses not covering it for me.

"I'm just in bed." Clay quickly replies.

George catches on and soon joins in. "Where's y/n?"

Clay shrugs, getting flustered. A blush rises on my cheeks too but I can't help but let a laugh slip past my lips.

"I heard her! She's there with you!" Nick shouts.

"Let us see her Dream!" George also shouts.

Clay turns the camera a little to the side, showing me. I smile shyly, giving them a small wave.

"Dream!" Nick exclaims. "Did you sleep with her?!"

Clay and I quickly shake our heads, moving the camera so both of us are in frame.

"It's nothing like that!" Clay tries to explain, frantically waving his arms.   
But the boys just want to tease us, so they continue on.

"You two got frisky on the first week?" Nick asks, obviously joking at this point. "I'll support it though, one hundred percent."

"The second week is definitely okay though." George adds on to Nick. "But you two are cute together, so we'll allow this."

I reach behind me, grabbing the pillow and stuffing my face in it, trying to hide my embarrassment. I lightly scream into the pillow, wanting this conversation to end.

"Okay, okay! Thank you boys!" Clay exclaims over George and Nicks laughing. "Thanks for checking up, we'll call you later!"

Before Clay can hang up Nick quickly says one last thing before he hangs up himself.  
"Make sure you use protection!"

"Sapnap!" I shout, lifting my face from out of the pillow and accidentally letting his username slip out instead of his real name.  
But it's too late, him and George are both gone, leaving me and Clay with beet red faces.

"Next time I see those two, it'll be the last time anyone ever sees them." Clay groans, flopping back on the bed, his arms spread out.

"I'll gladly help you with anything you're planning."

He rolls his head to the side to look at me. He slides both objects off his face, a grin tugging up at his lips. "Thank you m'lady."

I smile, the name causing butterfly's to dance in my stomach. I look down, fiddling with my hands in my lap.

"Sorry, should I not have called you that?" he worriedly asks, propping himself back up with one arm.

"No, no!" I wave my hands. "I like it, a lot."

"Well then m'lady, we should get ready to go out." Clay smiles brightly, getting out of bed and heading to the door. "We slept in so it's already eleven thirty. It's going to be straight to lunch!"

I giggle as he leaves the room. I stay sitting in the bed, staring at where he just left, unable to get that damn smile out of my head. The one that causes his eyes to squint close because of how large his smile is. It makes my heart melt to see him so happy.

I get up out of bed and change, brushing my hair and teeth and deciding to do light makeup. I stare at myself in the mirror, my red tank top with spaghetti straps allowing a couple light bruises to be seen. I take a deep breath, choosing to ignore that and just go have a good day with Clay, no worrying.

When I get downstairs I see Clay already waiting for me, sitting on the couch on his phone. He's wearing a brand t-shirt and shorts.

He looks up at me from his phone, his eyes widening as he stands up and walks towards me.  
He looks me up and down, a smile on his face. "You look amazing m'lady."

I laugh lightly, rolling my eyes and playfully shoving his shoulder. "Stop using that name, it'll get old quick. Let's go, I'm getting hungry."

He happily follows me as I grab my black miniature backpack and out the front door towards Clays car.

As I reach for the door handle, Clays hand beats me to it. He opens the door for me, waiting for me to get in before he closes it and rushes to the driver side.

I giggle once he starts the car and begins driving.

He side glances at me, keeping his eyes on the road for the most part. "What?"

I continue laughing to myself for a couple more seconds before I'm able to control myself. "That was just such a gentleman like move."

He smirks. "I just couldn't let m'lady open the door herself."

"I told you not to overuse that word." I smile, loving every time he says it to me.

"Okay fine." Clay sighs, sneaking a side glance at me and muttering, "M'lady."

"Clay!" I exclaim, smacking his arm.

We finally decide to head to the indoor mall and find something to eat in there, choosing between all the different places.

We casually walk around, peering through mall windows to admire whatever's in the store. Sometimes it's me staring at types of clothes that are in the window displays, but the rest of the time it's the two of us looking through the gaming windows, looking at all the games and electronics.

"Whoa, look at that pc!" Clay exclaims. "That would be perfect for you!"

My eyebrows furrow and I turn to the green eyes boy. "What in the world are you talking about?"

He copies my expression, looking down at me. "What do you mean 'what are you talking about'? you need a new pc."

My eyes widen as I back away from the window. "Yeah, but not right now. I'll be able to afford one in a couple weeks."

Clay shakes his head, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the store. "You don't need to wait weeks when the perfect pc is right here. I'll buy it for you."

"Uh, no Clay. You are absolute _not_ buying me a pc." I refuse, tugging on his hand lightly. "Thanks for the offer but I can't take that."

"Oh shush y/n." he waves his hand at me, still continuing to tug me along towards the pc. "I'm getting it for you, and you don't have a say in it."

"Please Clay." I beg. "I literally can't have you do that."

"Okay, I'll let you pay for some of it. Sound fair?"

"No." I mumble.

"Great! It's decided!" he happily picks out everything I need for my setup. And I literally mean every single thing.

The man working here looks as if he hadn't seen sunlight in two weeks, his eyes barely open, and his name tag a little crooked. The employe, Ethan as his name tag says, tiredly looks at the two of us, all the items spread out on the counter. He scans each before telling us our price, which is just over two thousand dollars.

My eyes widen. "Clay, please. Let's not get this right now."

"Nope, it's too late." Clay says, handing the man his card.

I quickly dig mine out of my bag and slide it to the guy too, making sure Clay can't take mine back. "Split the bill please." I tell the guy behind the counter.

The man takes a deep breath before splitting the amount and using the two cards to pay.

After the very sad looking man put our stuff in bags, we head out.

"Let's drop this stuff off at the car, then come back and eat." Clay suggests, the two of us already heading in that direction.

We put the stuff in the trunk of his car before heading back inside and finding a table to sit at by all the different places to eat.

We look around for a moment, Clay pointing out a McDonalds before I point out a Panera, a much better option. Clay agrees to eat there instead so we go to order.

After ordering we go back to our seats, talking and laughing while we wait for our food. I glance at these two women after once in a while, one with brown hair and one with black, both of them staring me down. It's weird but I think nothing of it, even if they wanted to plan something they can't, we're in a crowded mall. _Wow, that's the first thing my head can think of when someone is staring at me? That they're planning to kill me or something?_

Clay notices me looking over at the two women so he turns around, the girls quickly spinning around in their seats.  
"What are those two people doing?" he questions, his eyebrows furrowed as he slowly turns back around to face me. "Do you like know them or something?"

I shake my head no as they turn around once again, and once they notice I'm still staring they turn again.  
"That's weird." I mumble.

"Oh!" Clay excitedly says, standing up. "They just called us I'll be back with the food so we can talk about those two some more."

I nod, watching him as he walks off. I pull my phone out of my pocket, deciding to waste time on that while I wait for Clay.

Suddenly, someone taps my shoulder. I look up and notice it's the two girls who were staring at me.

I raise a brow. "Yes?"

The one with brown hair bends down. "Do you need help?" she whispers, glancing around to make sure no one can hear her.

Confused, I look at her, unsure why she would think I need help. "What, why?"

The black haired one motions towards my chest. I quickly look down, only seeing the bruises. _Wait- Ohhhh._

"We noticed the bruises and we want to help you get away from your boyfriend." the black haired girl whispers.

My eyes widen as I connect the dots here. They saw the bruises on my chest and think Clay is the one that put them there.  
I quickly shake my head, waving my hands in front of them. "Girls, that's very kind of you but I don't need help. Thank you for being concerned."

Clay suddenly walks up, a tray with our food in his hands. His gaze goes from the two girls standing in front of him down to me, sitting on the other side of them.

"Y/n, should we go somewhere else?" he questions, his eyes now not leaving the two girls.

I nod, getting up before a hand suddenly stops me, making me sit back down.   
"Leave her alone you piece of shit!" the brown haired girl shouts, pointing a very aggressive finger at Clay.

"What?" the tall blond questions, looking from them to me. He attempts to get past them and reach for me but the girl just slaps his hand down.

"Don't you ever touch her again!" she shouts, gaining a lot of attention to the people around us.

Everyone's eyes land on us, mostly Clay and the two girls as they continue to shout at him.

"Abuse is a horrible thing! Look what you've done to her, and I'm sure that's not even all of them!"

"Listen-" Clay tries to explain but the girls won't let him.

He stumbles a bit as they shove him backwards. I quickly reach out, taking a step forward to try and get to Clay, but the black haired girl grabs my arm and starts pulling me away.

I struggle in her fucking gorilla ass grip, like what the actual fuck? Finally reaching some limit I didn't know I had I wrench my arm out of her grasp, rubbing the sore red mark on my wrist.

"Enough!" I shout at her. "If you two would simply listen, you would know that he would never hurt me! He wasn't the one who did this to me, he's the kindest, sweetest, funniest person I know, he wouldn't even think about such a thing!"

People continue to stare at me as I make a scene. You know what no, those two were the ones that caused a scene, not me. "It's great you two wanted to help but you need to learn to genuinely listen to people. Don't ever assume he did this, and absolutely do not go at him and shove him like you did."

I huff, turning around and storming towards Clay as he watches with wide eyes, the tray of food still in his hands.

"Come on." I mumble, grabbing his arm and walking back to our table, leaving the two girls standing in shock behind me. "I don't want to stay here any longer."

Clay nods and the two of us grab out food, putting them into bags before heading back to the car.

We get back home and eat there, the house much more peaceful and quieter than the mall was.

"Ugh, those girls made such a big scene." I groan, taking the last bite out of my sandwich. "And they thought you were the bad, abusive guy!"

Clay chuckles, already finished with his food. He's just been sitting up at the counter with me while I slowly finish. "That girls shove was pretty aggressive, wouldn't think she'd be able to throw me off balance like she did."

I sigh disappointedly, both of us throwing our trash away before sitting down on the couch. "I wish the day wasn't ruined by those girls. I wanted to go and walk around the mall for a little longer with you."

"We'll we can always go out again another day." Clay smiles, getting me to smile too. "I'll be happy just spending time with you."

I blush. "Me too."

"Then how about the movies tomorrow, m'lady?" Clay suggests, pulling me into a hug. "I heard they have good movies there right now."

I grin, happily nodding my head. "I'd like that. But only if I get to pay."

"I don't think so." he shakes his head, his blond waves flopping around in his face.

I raise a brow, pinching his arm and slowly getting harder.

"Okay! Okay! Mercy!" Clay cries out. "You can pay for some of it!"

I pinch a little harder. "All of it."

"Fine, but only this once." he finally agrees.

I stop pinching him, happily hugging him back. I decide to put on Youtube while we lay on the couch, going straight to Clays channel and putting on his first manhunt video.

Since this is the first time I've watched his videos, I have no idea what will happen. But damn, they're so good already. The chases are so intense, I feel anxious for Clay every time one of the boys creepily call out his name, giggling a little once they see him.

He laughs at my reactions, I squeeze him tighter every time they get so close to killing him, letting out a large sigh of relief once he gets away, or even getting excited when he kills all three of them.

Once I get to the third manhunt video I look down at Clay as he lays on my stomach, taking a nap, his arms still wrapped tightly around my waist.  
This feels comfortable and right. His arms feel safe and secure, like he'd never let go.

I happily sigh, laying my head back against the back of the couch. I let my hands run through his soft blond hair while I continue to watch his manhunt videos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys like my chapter titles, they're literally made up in 5 seconds


	9. Clay can't cook

_I happily sigh, laying my head back against the back of the couch. I let my hands run through his soft blond hair while I continue to watch his manhunt videos._

______________________

"Clay!" I shout, rushing down the stairs, a horrible burning smells spreading all throughout the house.

I quickly run into the kitchen, my eyes widening once I spot a smoking pan on the stove. I wave the smoke away from my face, the smoke alarms finally going off in the house.

I manage to turn the stove off, grabbing a rag to wave the black smoke away from me, just as footsteps come pounding down the stairs.

"Shit!" Clay exclaims, sliding across the bare floor in his socks, coming to a stop in the kitchen.

Clay gets to my side, both of us peering into the pan, only to see all the food that had been in there is now completely burnt.

I slowly turn my head, glare at him before smacking the back of his head.

"Ouch!" he tells, rubbing the sore spot.

"Clay, why was the stove left on and unattended?" I question, crossing my arms and raising a brow.

He chuckles nervously, his eyes looking in every direction except at me. "I had just put the rice in before I suddenly had to use the restroom, and I uh- I might've gotten distracted in there."

"What did I tell you about bringing your phone into the restroom with you while you're cooking?!" I scold, in a joking but pretty serious way.

"Not to do it."

"And what did you do?"

"I did it." he mumbles.

I sigh shaking my head and taking another look into the pan. "What we're you making?"

"I was going to surprise you with lunch, just some beef and rice. But, I guess it didn't turn out." he shrugs, a little upset that the food had gone to waste.

I laugh lightly, turning and hugging him. "Thank you anyways Clay. We'll try this again later."

He returns the hug before I pull away from him. I grab the pan handle and bring it to the trash, letting the burnt food slide into the garbage. I put the pan in the sink before grabbing Clays wrist and dragging him to the counter.

I sit in a barstool, pulling out my phone. Clay sits down beside me, looking over my shoulder as I pull up the McDonalds website.

"Since you burned our lunch, we get McDonalds for today." I tell him, not even needing the menu to choose what I want to eat.

Clay cheers, quickly telling me what he wants without the menu also.

I place our order in, using Uber Eats to get it delivered to his house.  
The food comes quickly and we eat, me with my chicken nuggets, and Clay with a big mac.

"How about we set up your pc after we eat?" Clay asks, his mouth full of food.

I turn away, grossed out. "How about you ask me again once you swallow your food."

I lean my head against my palm, leaning against the counter as I pop another chicken nugget in my mouth, watching in amusement as Clay quickly swallows the large bite he had shoved into his mouth.

He sets what's left of his burger down. "I don't have to repeat myself right?"

I shake my head, putting all my trash in the McDonald bag. "No, we should go set it up. Maybe we can call George and Nick after."

I get up to throw the trash away, Clay taking his last bite before sliding it across the counter for me to throw away also.

He heads to the living room where we left all the boxes of my pc equipment, too lazy to carry them upstairs when we had brought them home two days ago.

I follow after him, bending down to pick up three of the lightest boxes. "Have fun with the big box Clay!" I call, already halfway up the stairs.

"I carried it to the car anyways!" he shoots back.  
I peek from the top of the stairs to see him sticking his tongue out at me.

I laugh, rushing into my room. After putting the boxes on my desk I grab my speaker from my bedside table, turning it on and connecting it to my phone. I take a seat on my bed, one leg crossed over the other while I pick a playlist and wait for Clay.

I'm able to hear him making his way down the hall before he finally shows up in the doorway, the box on the floor and Clay behind it. He pushes it across the floor, crawling behind it on his hands and knees.

"Wow, I thought you were strong Clay?" I ask as he pushes the box into the middle of the room.

Clay looks up at me, standing up and wiping off his hands and knees. "I most certainly am, I just found a more efficient way to get the box from point A to point B."

"Good thing this method doesn't involve your nonexistent muscles." I tease, looking back down at my phone.

"Hey!" Clay complained. He pulls the sleeve of his shirt up above his shoulder, flexing his bicep.  
"I do to have muscle." he says, standing in front of me. "Feel it."

I bark out a laugh. "No Clay."

"Just touch it once." he urges, moving his arm even closer to me.

"What- Clay no." I laugh, pushing his arm away from my face.

"Do it, you know I won't stop until you do." he smiles, pushing his arm back in my face.

"Okay, okay." I say, defeated.

I roll my eyes before poking his bicep, my eyes widening a bit and my eyebrows furrowing as I'm actually able to feel some kind of muscle.

"Impressed?" Clay grins after seeing my reaction.

"Surprised, actually." I mutter, poking it again to make sure it wasn't some lucky spot I poked.

He deflates, putting his sleeve back down and letting his arms hang limply by his sides. He sticks his bottom lip out, pouting as he falls face first onto the bed beside me.

"Aw, Clay I was joking." I tell him, patting his back. "I know you have muscles, and I'm not surprised about it either."

"You'll say anything to make me feel better." he fake cries, his voice muffled since he's face first in the bed sheets.

"Of course I would, and right now I'm being serious." I say, rubbing his back gently. "I don't like seeing anything but a smile on your face."

He moves to sit up on his knees. He opens his arms as he falls towards me, taking me down as he wraps his arms around me, laying his head on my stomach just like he did the other night. I wrap my arms around his neck.

I look down at him, my e/c eyes locking with his bright emerald green ones as he looks up at me, a smile on his lips. "Thank you m'lady."

I smile back, playfully rolling my eyes.

We lay there for a few moments, simply enjoying each other's presence. I look down at him, butterflies in my stomach. His eyes are closed and his head is turned so he can lay his head comfortably on my stomach. I blush as I finally realize how he's lying between my legs, his warm body pressed against mine.

"Are you just going to keep staring?" Clay asks, his eyes still closed.

I jump slightly. _How the hell does he know?_

I stay quiet, not trusting my mouth and brain to come up with actual words at this moment.

Clays eyes open once again and he looks up at me, smirking. "I mean, I don't care if you keep staring at me. I'd stare if I were you too."

I sigh, playfully pushing his face to the side. "We should actually get my pc started up, instead of continuously saying we'll do it, and end up blowing it off."

He grunts, getting up off me as I sit up myself.

"Which should we open first? The small ones or the big one?" Clay asks, sitting on his knees on the floor.

"How about, I open the cute little boxes, and you can open the big heavy one." I grin, playing a random playlist off of Spotify.

The music begins to play through the portable speaker and I head over to my desk, grabbing the boxes off of it before sitting on the floor in front of Clay and the big box.

I open the boxes, placing each item down on the floor around me. A mouse, keyboard, camera, and microphone in the boxes, all the ones Clay had recommended. They're each good and reliable brands, items that are definitely for more experienced gamers and streamers.

"Okay, ready?" Clay excitedly asks after I've opened all the smaller boxes, having waited for me to open those before he opened the big one.

"Yes." I clap, scooting closer to him, the box sitting in between us.

We open it together, Clay standing up to slide the pc out of the cardboard box.

"Whoa." my eyes widen seeing my brand new pc. "It looks so much better than my old one."

Clay chuckles, lifting the pc up onto the desk, pushing it to the side against the wall so it won't fall. He turns around, looking around the floor.

"Where's the monitor?" he asks, the box with the screen nowhere in the room.

"You might've left it down stairs dummy."

He frowns at me. "You're the one that only brought up four small boxes while I had the heavy ass pc."

Clay heads downstairs to get it while I wait in the room, moving all my stuff onto the desk.   
We got one monitor for now, but I've already ordered another for myself online and it says it should be here tomorrow.

Clay comes back in my room, placing the box on my bed this time. He takes it out and puts it on the desk, plugging everything in so it turns on.

I sit back and watch patiently as he organizes my setup, moving some of the potted plants around so everything looks good.

He steps back. "How does it look?"

I grin, standing up and hugging him. "It's amazing, thank you for helping me out."

"Of course." he smiles back. "It'll look even better once that other monitor comes in too."

I nod my head, leaning against his chest.

He takes his phone out of his pocket, looking at the time before unlocking it. "We should call Nick and George before it gets too late and George falls asleep."

I let go of him before he hands me the phone, walking out of the room to get his mask and glasses. I sit down on the ground, laying back against my bed. I begin a group face time with Nick and George as Clay walks back in, his the two already on. He takes a seat on the floor, leaning against my bed. I had the phone to him, leaning on his shoulder and watching the screen and the two boys face time bubbles load, waiting for them to join.

"It's only ten in London, if George is asleep we get to make fun of him for going to bed early." I partially joke. I'm not lying, if he doesn't pick up I will not hesitate to make fun of him.

Nick picks up before George, only his ceiling in view.

"Nick, where are you?" Clay asks, not wanting to just see the boys ceiling.

"Why do you ask?" Nick speaks up from somewhere else in the room before he picks his phone up, his face coming into view. "I knew you just wanted to see my handsome face."

Clay shakes his head. "I'll just let you continue to think that idiot."

Nick grins. "He didn't deny it. You heard it y/n, so you'll side with me if I bring it up later right?"

I nod, smiling. "Duh, I'll take any chance to tease Clay."

"You call him Clay all the time, huh." Nick says, more stating it then asking as a question.

"Well of course." I giggle. "I'd be weird if I called him Dream all the time."

"Dream, I'm going to call you Clayton when I'm there." Nick decides.

"Oh God, please don't." Clay groans.

I laugh lightly, turning to look at him, a questioning look on my face. "Isn't that your actual name though?"

He nods.

"Then why can't I call you Clayton?" Nick asks.

"Because the only person who calls me Clayton is my mom. It'd be weird if any of you did."

I slyly look at Nick on the camera. We exchange silent, knowing words, planning to call Clay Clayton any chance we get.

"No, stop it." Clay demands. "I don't like the looks on your faces, and it's obvious what you two are thinking. Don't."

"Okay, fine." Nick sighs. "We won't do it... Clayton."

"Nick." Clay says sternly.

"Give him a break Clayton, he's younger than us." I tell him, unable to contain my laughter right after.

"Haha, you two are so funny." Clay deadpans.

"Trust us, we know."

"What the hell are you three talking about?" a very tired sounding George mumbles, a yawn following right after.

"George, please, _please,_ don't tell me you were asleep." I groan, hoping he says he was just so I can tease him.

"I mean, I won't tell you then." he mumbles, his camera pitch black.

"Oh my God, you were asleep!" Nick shouts, startling everyone on the call.

"Sapnap!" George hisses, shifting around on his bed. "Don't be so loud."

"George I'm literally going to make fun of you for acting like such an old man." I sigh.

"He is an old man, he's twenty three." Clay chuckles.

"Dang George, you're really old." I say in fake amazement. "Obviously you'd need your rest."

"I'm literally two years older than you Dream-" George starts but gets interrupted by Clay.   
"Actually, your about three years older than me, your birthday is coming up."

George sighs tiredly. "Gee thanks. So if we're going to do it that way then I'm only four years older than y/n, and five years older than Nick."

"Wow, five years is still a pretty large gap old man." Nick adds.

"Nick, be nice to George." I scold, George thanking me.   
I suddenly smirk, not finished. "We have to respect our elders."

Everyone except George starts laughing, unable to contain ourselves any longer.

"You guys are so funny." George says, completely emotionless.

Clay wheezes lightly, unable to speak. After a moment, he's able to talk between laughs. "George- it's so much better- because you're not laughing."

George stays silent, his screen still completely black.

"George, I'm sorry." I laugh. "I mean I'm kinda not, but I'm sorry."

George let's out a long breath. "Why did you guys call?"

"Me-ow." Clay remarks. "We wanted to stream for a bit, y/n got a new set up."

"Oh! I wanna see!" Nick burst out.

Clay turns the camera around, showing off my new setup from the ground, not wanting to stand up.

"Why does she have a camera?" George asks. "She's never shown her face, why would she need one?"

Clay flips the camera back around to show us.

I shrug. "I can't keep my face hidden forever, you know I do plan on doing a face reveal at some point. Just not soon."

"I guess that makes sense." George admits, shifting around once again. This time, a light turns on, lighting up Georges screen. He flinches from the sudden change in light.

"Alright, if you guys wanna stream let's do it." he says, getting up out of his bed.

Clay also gets up, reaching a hand out for me to grab so he can pull me up.

"I guess we'll just go on a Discord call together, We'll be there in a sec guys." Clay tells them before hanging up the call.

He walks to the door, taking his mask off and turning his head towards me. "Join the Discord, alright."

I groan, following behind him.

Confused, he looks at me. "Y/n go get on Discord, which is," he turns me around so I'm facing my setup. "that way."

"Clay." I whine, turning back around to face him.

"What?"

"I just wanna watch you play this time." I pout. "Just let me sit in there and watch."

"We just got you a setup and you don't even want to use it." Clay says, shaking his head.

"Not right now." I tell him.

He looks at me for a couple seconds, silently questioning if I'm being serious or just joking. When I don't break eye contact, using puppy dog eyes, he sighs in defeat, realizing I'm one hundred percent serious.

"Let's go." He motions for me to follow after him.

"Yes!" I cheer, happily following after the tall blond.

He leads me into his room, grabbing ahold of his chair as he turns around to face me. "Do you want me to get you a chair so you can sit beside me, or do you wanna just like, sit on my bed or something."

For some reason I blush at the thought of sitting on his bed, which is ridiculous especially since we've slept in the same bed.  
"I can just bring my chair in here." I tell him, backing out of the room.

I walk back down the hall to my room, quickly grabbing ahold of my chair before dragging it back to Clay's room.

Once I get back I notice he's already in front of his computer, just logging onto Minecraft, Discord already up on his other screen.

I roll the chair towards his desk, stopping right next to him and taking a seat. I rest my arms on the desktop, laying my head on my arms as I watch Clay join the Discord call with George and Nick.

I can hear the boys muffled voices greet Clay once he joins them.

"Hey guys." Clay responds.

I can't hear what the other two are saying but when Clay suddenly glances at me, I already know what's up before he can even explain it to them.

"She's, right beside me." he tells them. "She wanted to just watch tonight."

I hear Nicks loud voice on the other end, his words actually audible. "What?! I thought she was going to play with us!"

Clay chuckles, shaking his head. "I guess she wasn't feeling it."

"Nope!" I answer, loud enough so George and Nick can hear me.

Clay laughs before they all get onto Minecraft, playing bedwars for a bit before go onto the Smp. Clay and George decide to not stream, which would've allowed me to talk, except Nick was the only one who started his stream.

Everyone knows I'm not on the Discord call so if they heard me they'd figure I'm at one of the guys house, and that's definitely something I don't want any of our viewers to find out.

I shift my head more to the right, just beside Clays right arm as I get into a more comfortable position so I can continue watching silently.

"Sapnap, George, stop doing that or else." Clay warns, getting irritated as they keep knocking him off the top of the house while he's trying to rebuild it.

Everyone still occasionally finds a part of the world or buildings that hadn't been fixed up since our little battle, and the roof of the main house just so happens to be one of those buildings.

I watch as Clay's character climbs to the top once again after falling into the water surrounding the house. I can hear George and Nick laughing at Clays reaction, but when I glance up at the blond I can tell he's not enjoying this at all.

Clays character crouches, staring down the two in the other end of the roof before he slowly begins repairing once again.

Watching closely, I notice George coming closer, but so does Clay. This time instead of getting knocked off, Clay spins his character around to attack them before they could attack him. Except that's not how it happened.

When Clay spun around, he quickly dragged his mouse to the right, roughly smacking his arm right into my face.

"Fuck!" I shout, springing up from my chair, holding my hands over my nose.

The boys laughing stops as everyone heard me, Nicks chat most likely hearing it as well.

My eyes widen for two reasons, the first is because I realized I made my presence known and the second reason is because of the blood that's currently running all down my arm from my nose, dripping on the floor.

I hear the boys mumble something, quickly trying to cover it up by acting oblivious to me even being there.  
Luckily, Clay covers for me.

"Shit!" he gasps, quickly jumping up out of his chair and rushing to me. His eyes widen at how much my nose is bleeding, but he continues to talk to Nicks and George, coming up with some dumbass excuse for what everyone just heard.

"Sorry guys, that was me." he nervously chuckles, reaching out to help me. "I hit my elbow against something when I spun around, that hurt like a bitch."

The boys talk on the chat, Clay listening as I stand in the middle of his room, blood dripping onto his carpet.

"Yeah, I'm gonna head off. It's really late for Georgie, and that hurt like a bitch." he says, hissing in pain as an act, which hopefully Nicks viewers buy.

He rushes back to the computer, getting off the world and the Discord before rushing back to me.

"Are you okay?!" he asks, panic in his voice.

"Yeah, you were pretty good with your excuse though, it does hurt like a bitch." I chuckle before wincing from the pain in my nose.

"I'm so sorry y/n." Clay apologizes, grabbing ahold of my arms and gently guiding me towards the bathroom, being careful not to step in the trail of blood I leave. "I didn't mean to do that, I promise."

I shake my head, immediately regretting it as my hands brush against my nose. "It's okay."

He sits me down on the toilet seat, digging under the sink for a first aid kit, which we don't even need if I'm honest.

He takes out wipes and gauze pads, opening them before he gently removes my hands from my face and tilts my head back.

"Hold these here." he tells me, holding the gauze against my nose.

I do as he says while he opens the wipes, using them to wipe away the blood that dripped down my arms.

He notices the gauze pad is almost completely soaked in blood.   
He opens another pack of gauze in shock. "How the hell is your nose bleeding this much?"

I shrug, grabbing the next one and holding that against my nose. Clay tells me to stay here and just keep switching when I need to while he goes and cleans the blood from the carpet before it stains.

After switching gauze pads for a couple minutes, the bleeding starts to slow, allowing me to get up and leave the bathroom without needing any more gauze.

I walk back into Clays room, watching him as he scrubs the larger red spot in the center of the room in his hands and knees, having already cleaned the trail leading to the bathroom.

"I would've helped but," I mumble, gesturing to my nose.

"It's fine." he smiles up at me, sitting back in his knees. "It's all cleaned up anyways." he sweeps his hand across the floor, no evidence or stains anywhere that can prove I had just lost a whole liter of my blood.

"Sorry about that." I mutter, using my free hand to nervously rub my arm.

"Psh, you did nothing." Clay waves his hand. "It was my fault."

How about we just call it a night? We can watch Netflix until we fall asleep on the couch." he suggest, grinning.

I happily agree, leaving his room so I can change into my pajamas and he can change into his.

I beat him to the couch, already snuggled up in a blanket once he gets walks in. The bleeding stopped so I no longer needed the gauze.

He turns the lights off before jumping onto the couch, grabbing the remote and putting some random show on Netflix on.  
He lifts the blanket and gets underneath it too, wrapping his arms around me and laying his head on my stomach like he's done so many times before.

And for the fifth time in a week, we fall asleep together. My hand gently running through his hair, and his head laying comfortably on my stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	10. Mc Manhunt :o

_And for the fifth time in a week, we fall asleep together. My hand gently running through his hair, and his head laying comfortably on my stomach._

______________________

"Y/n! Stop it!" Clay shouts on the Discord call, his Minecraft character sprinting towards me.

I laugh, sprinting back to his house from the forest.  
I get back and see him frantically going through his chests.

"Where did you put them, witch." Clay demands, approaching and punching my character as I crouch in front of him.

"Y/n," Sapnap chokes out between laughs. "Please don't tell him."

"I won't, I won't." I manage to get out, laying my head down on my desk as I laugh.

I pick my head up as I hear my character getting hit repeatedly before my death message pops up on the screen, causing me and Nick to laugh even harder.

_HolyBonez was slain by Dream_

"Clay, you know you won't find it by killing me."

" _You know you won't find it by killing me."_ Clay mocks me in a higher pitched voice, before lowering it again. "Give me my armor and tools back."

His childish attitude only makes it funnier.

"Maybe you shouldn't have let me kill you, then you wouldn't have lost your stuff." I shrug, a smirk spreading across my face.

Clays character stills and he goes quiet, the last thing we hear from his end of the call is something being put down.

"Dream?" Nick asks after a second. "You don't have to pout about it."

Suddenly, my door swings open, revealing Clay. He playfully glares at me before storming across the room to me, his hands reaching towards me.

"Wait, Clay- No." I nervously laugh, rolling backwards in my chair.

"What's he doing?" I hear Nick ask from my headphones.

I'm unable to respond because Clay takes my headphones off, setting them on my desk before wrapping his arms around me. I burst out laughing as he lifts me from my chair, a small laugh escaping his lips, breaking him from his serious attitude.

"Clay!" I shout, a yelp escaping my lips as Clay slings me over his shoulder, using the back of my knees to hold me. "Put me down!"

He just laughs before throwing me onto my bed, immediately sitting beside me on his knees and attacking me by tickling my sides.

"C-Clay!" I wheeze, trying to shove his hands away from me but every time I push them away they immediately fly back to my sides. "Please!"

"Tell me where my stuffs at Y/n!" he finally says, still attempting to hold back his laughter.

"No!" I say, kicking my legs out.   
He shrugs, continuing to tickle me, and finally I can't take any more of the torture. "Okay! Okay! I'll bring you to it! Just stop!"

He finally stops, a smug smirk on his face. He gets up off the bed while I do the same.  
Breathing heavily, I sit back down in my chair, putting my headphones back on as Clay leaves my room.

"What in the hell just happened?" Nick asks.

"Just me getting my shit back, that's all." Clay responds to him as I catch my breath, tired from the commotion that just happened.

"What?! Why'd she tell you?!" Nick shouts, shocked I'd actually give Clay his stuff back.

"We'll she's going to bring me to it, but she's doing it because I'm making her."

I finally get back to Clay, having to run across the SMP after the green bastard killed me.

He impatiently hits me. "Let's go."

I groan. "Fine, but only because I don't want to experience what I just went through again."

Nick suddenly becomes vocal again. "What the hell did he do to you?!"

"Nothing bad, I swear." I laugh, running towards the forest I hid Clays stuff in, his green character following right behind me.

"I'm not sure you guys should be living together... alone." Nick says slowly.

"Sapnap! We don't do anything!" Clay quickly tells him.

My face flushes as soon as Nick brings up the fact that we are living alone together. Just two young adults who literally stay at home all day. It's not like we're doing anything, but I will admit that laying down and sleeping together is a little odd since we're not dating.  
But, it's just more comforting to me. Not having someone who wants to do this stuff with for so many years, then suddenly having such a sweet person to spend my time with.

I snap out of my daze once I get to the place I hid a chest filled with Clays stuff, the two of them yelling to each other about something.

I had hidden a chest filled with Clays stuff in an open area of the forest. It's underground right in the middle of a bunch of red tulips.

"Here you go, Pissbaby." I mumble, breaking the grass block above the chest, revealing it to him.

He opens it, seeing all his stuff safe in the chest. "Thank- Wait. Who told you about Pissbaby?!"

I erupt into more laughter, Nick joining in with me.

"Tell me who told you about it." Clay demands, putting his armor on and taking out his netherite sword, punching me.

"Hey!" I shout, beginning to run back towards our houses, Clay chasing after me. "It was George! He sent me the tweet and told me all about it! I swear!"

"Remind me to kill him once he gets on, right after I kill you." Clay remarks, getting three more taps on me, killing me once again.

"Dream, I can't believe you killed her again." Nick mutters.

"And I'd do it again." he jokes, though I know he really would if I mess with him first.

"I swear I will not let you do such a thing Dream." Nick vows. "I'll protect her from the harsh slash's of your cold and bloody blade."

"Wow, Nick." I laugh as he rushes to me at spawn, in full netherite armor with a matching set of tools.

"Oh please, I can easily take you in a one v one." Clay snorts.

"Oh yeah? Come on let's go then!" Nick taunts. "Where you at green bastard?"

"Stop calling me that, the others have spread it to you guys."

The two of them argue as I dig through random chests around the server, looking for materials to build myself more armor.  
I collect a diamond chest plate and sword before I notice George join the call and server, the other two boys completely oblivious to him joining both.

_< HolyBonez> Hi Georgie :)_

I grin at my comment, hoping that would get the boys attention as they attack each other, but it doesn't. Lucky George sees it, both of us staying silent on the Discord call, typing in the game chat only.

_< Georgenotfound> Hello Y/n_   
_< HolyBonez> How is your night so far_   
_< Georgenotfound> Quite well, how was your morning with Dream?_

I feel my face heat up.

_< Dream> Good._

Clay answers simply, neither of us are going to tell them we slept together yet again, because why would they even need to know that?

"Pretty vague, Dream." George mutters. "I'll let it slide because we should get the other two and start the video."

"Yes!" I exclaim, glad to be leaving the subject behind us. "We should definitely do that!"

Clay quickly invites Badboyhalo and Antfrost to our call, all of us getting off the SMP and onto a new world Clay made just now.

Today, we're going to be recording a video for Clays channel, and you'll never guess what it is.

A manhunt video, a new twist being added to it.   
It's me, I'm the twist.   
So instead of a five hunters vs one speed runner video, it's four hunters vs two speed runners. Clay had made sure I was the other speed runner, insisting it's because the two of us are the two quickest speed runners. The boys also have two compasses, one for locating Dream and one for locating me.

George had thought that me being a good and fast speed runner would be a reason I shouldn't be one of the speed runners, since I'm actually extremely quick, just like Clay.   
But Clay quickly shot that down, saying It'd be better this way.

I was briefly introduced to Badboyhalo and Antfrost earlier today before they had to leave to do something, that's when it was just me, Clay, and Nick on the SMP, George also having to finish something before getting on.

"Y/n, you've already met with Bad and Ant so we don't need to introduce." Clay says, waiting for everyone to join. "We'll start after I introduce the video, which everyone made sure they're recording right?"

"Yup."  
"Yes sir."  
"Yeah."  
"Mhm."  
"Yes."

"Good, we'll add in different points of views, and you guys can upload your entire point of views on your own channels. And make sure to use usernames, not real names when talking."

I nod, excited to actually be apart of their videos. I can't let my nervousness interfere with how I play, me and Clay can do this as long as I'm able to stay composed and just do what I do.

Clay and I had gone over some tricks to use especially when were in danger of getting killed, adding to the effect and mood of the video.

Clay had made sure I watched all the other Manhunt videos so he knows how the others work with each other and how they fight.

So now I'm here, crouching and punching the air as Clay introduces the video for everyone's recording. Each of us add in a couple random comments, saying hi to our own channels or even to the others.

Clay and I use this time to distract them, I make a joke about Sapnaps channel, getting everyone to laugh and focus on teasing Sapnap some more.

This give Clay and I really only a couple seconds to run and get a head start.

We get a couple trees away before they notice we're gone, Ant being the one to point out our disappearance.

They begin chasing after us, all of us weaving through the trees, Clay jumping up to the top of the trees, letting me guide us from below.

Sapnap and Ant chase after me on the ground, Bad and George chasing Dream on the tops of the trees. The two pursuing me almost catch me a couple times, but I'm able to lose them between the trees.

We make it out of the forest of trees, Dream shouting about a village up ahead.

"No! Don't let them get the chest in the village!" Bad exclaims.

It's no use though, Dream and I get to the blacksmith and use the distance we had ahead of them to divide the loot in the chest before running out, not giving them the chance to corner us.

We both climb to the top of a villagers house, staring down the four boys as they look up at us from a distance. They're all wearing nothing, while me and Dream have armor and weapons. An iron helmet and an iron sword for me, and a iron chest plate and pickaxe for Dream.

We laugh, quickly celebrating at our advantage while the boys retreat to get better things.

Dream and I collect materials and food from the village before running off to mine.

After a couple nights of running around, killing the four a couple times after they sneaked up on us, killing mobs and searching villages for food and anything good to have, we spot a ravine, Dream immediately jumping down into it as I grab more wood.

Once I have enough of the materials I was collecting, I jump down into the ravine like Dream had.

"Here." Dream says quickly throwing new boots at me since mine broke while we fought, his character already in full iron. "There's more in the furnace, grab it when it's done."

He runs off towards a cave inside the ravine, going down it and leaving me to wait by the furnace.

"Look they're close, these tree's leaves are still breaking." George tells his group, their usernames now faintly visible to me.

_Fuck, they found us already._

I quickly grab the rest of the iron, not needing any armors and only crafting a bucket and a couple special items with something I found in the village chest before taking off in the direction Dream had gone.

Once I catch up with him far down in the cave, we find a lava pool, the perfect spot for our nether portal. There's enough space around that the others won't be able to set a trap, and there's enough tunnels that we can run into to escape if we need to.

"Here." I mumble, throwing the item I crafted earlier at Dream, figuring he'd be able to use it better than I would.

"Oh sweet, this'll be useful. Good-" he gets interrupted by Sapnap's loud voice.

"They're down here!" Sapnap exclaims.

"I can see their name tags down there." Ant says, causing the two of us to immediately crouch.

I stand back as Dream speedily makes the nether portal. He lights it only seconds after starting to make it.   
We both crouch in it, making sure we leave as soon as possible, the four name tags getting too close for comfort.

We teleport through, our achievements popping up on everyone's screen, causing the others to shout louder, yelling at each other to go after us faster.

As soon as Dream and I get through the nether portal we run off to find the fortress, hoping luck is on our side.

"This way." I tell Dream, both of us running around a corner in the direction I said.

Four achievements for the same thing pop up, letting Dream and I know that they got through the portal and are right behind us.

The two of us freeze, the ground ending at a cliff, the massive lava pool looking pretty scary below us. _Damn it I led us in the wrong direction._

"Damn it." I mutter my thought aloud looking around for a way out of this situation.

"They're right there!" George yells.

"Leave us alone!" Dream shouts, seeming panicked, though I know he's not.

I turn around to see all four of them rounding the corner, each of them dressed up in full iron armor.

"Bonez!" Dream shouts, gaining my attention as he begins building up towards another ledge higher up.

I copy his actions, the others doing the same just behind us.

Once we get to the top we continue running, coming to stop again at another cliff. This time, when we look over it we both spot a tiny island in the middle of a lava pool.

And with seconds before the other boys catch us, we both have the exact same thought, jumping off the cliff. Dream jumps a little before me, needing to for our plan to work and not have both of us killed.

Just before Dream can hit the ground, he places a slime block down, using it to bounce him up to another ledge, safely on the other side.

I hit the block only moments after him, using it to bounce across to the same spot he had.

Two of the boys jump off after us, screaming since they hadn't realized it was a cliff since we jumped off it so quickly without dying.

"No!" Bad shouts, completely missing the slime block and dropping right into the lava, quickly burning to a crisp.

George got luckier, not by much though. He spotted the slime block, using it to jump across towards our ledge. I hear a happy giggle coming from him as he thinks he's gotten the two of us.  
However, just before he could land, I place a wall of cobblestone, causing him to smack against it and fall into the lava below, also burning to a crisp.   
"Ugh! No!" he exclaims. "How do they do it?!"

That's two boys down and out, only two more left.

Dream and I continue running, Ant and Sapnap being smart and building a bridge across so they can chase after us.

They quickly catch up to us, cornering us on another cliff, a much larger distance between this ledge and the other, meaning we couldn't use another slime block, even if we had one. Luckily for us, the building on the other side is the nether fortress, not just another cliff of nether rack.

"It's right there!" Dream says, quickly throwing me an enderpearl we'd gotten from one of our nights in the overworld.

I quickly throw the enderpearl to the other side, Dream coping me but further away so we don't hit each other and fall into the lava.

Dream is able to make it safely across, having thrown his enderpearl high enough, however my aim wasn't as good, I was off by a couple blocks. My pearl hits the side of the fortress, teleporting me into the side of the building before dropping me down the side of the wall.

The lava pool below approaches quickly, and at the last second, I'm able to place a block of cobblestone against the side of the building, catching myself before I could die and end the game for both of us.

I build up the side, reaching Dream as he watches my back, making sure Sapnap and Ant aren't going to hit me off.

Once I get to the top, we take off, the two still building a bridge across the lava pool.

We run around the fortress, unable to find the blaze spawner anywhere.

"Where the hell-" I mumble before turning a corner and running right into Sapnap and Ant. "Shit!"

"Language!" Bad shouts, restarting with George back in the overworld.

I run off, Dream and I splitting up, but both boys end up chasing after me.

"Wow! Two v one, this is how you gotta win huh?!" I shout, getting far away from where Dream went before I tower up.

"Yeah, we're trying to guarantee a win." Ant says, him and Sapnap laughing.

"You should've watched my videos, then you'd know I won't be easy to take out."

They both continue laughing, towering up right after me, theirs right against my tower.

A message pops up that Dream has gotten the blaze rod achievement.  
 _Dream has made the achievement [Into Fire]_

"Sapnap! Ant!" George exclaims. "What are you two doing? Dream's literally collecting blaze rods!"

Everyone chooses to ignore George, too focused on chasing and fighting each other to respond.

Once I feel like I'm high enough I stop and make a crafting table, using it to make an item for my quick escape. I've only practiced this trick a couple times, so I'm really praying I'll be able to do it correct, or else I'm dead.

"Bonezzz~" Sapnap sings, the other three giggling with him, the thought that they'll win right here right now the only things in their heads.

"Get her Sap!" George cheers on his friend.

Just before Sapnap can get a hit on me to knock me off, I leap off my stand. I jump out towards a flat wall of nether rack sitting close to the ceiling, high above the lava below.

Just before I hit the wall, I place down a ladder, landing on that. I crouch at the top of the one ladder I placed, turning around just as Sapnap jumps out towards me. I grin, not knowing what he was even thinking, but glad he had his moment of absolute stupidity.

Before he taps me, I tap him back, just far enough back that he can't hit me but he also can't build to anything as he falls down, straight into the lava pool below.

"What?!" Sapnap exclaims, his character flailing wildly in the lava.

His death message pops up on the screen, the message saying he was killed by me.

"Yeah! Way to go Bonez!" Dream cheers.

I see his figure running towards me and the last hunter, Ant. He just sits at the top of his tower, thinking of how to get out of this situation.

"Oh gosh." Ant mumbles, looking for a way out.

He starts building a bridge away as I build back over to my tower, stressing him out more and causing him to divert his attention to me, not seeing Dream take aim at him with a crossbow.

Dream hits him, knocking him down on the fortress ground, which isn't enough to kill him. But Dream is on him in a flash, Ant's death by Dream message popping up on the screen too.

All the hunters let out a frustrated groan, having to start all over again, with a large disadvantage on weapons and armor. George and Bad had collected some items, but they'll definitely be needing more.

"Yes!" Dream and I cheer, loudly and excitedly celebrating.

"That ladder trick was great! I'm so glad you were able to pull that off!" Dream praises, crouching down in front of me.

I nervously laugh, a large smile on my face. "Well if I hadn't I would've fallen in the lava and we would've lost, so I'm pretty glad too."

"We'll I'm not." Sapnap huffs.

Dream and I laugh as the four other boys argue about their next best strategy, talking about either plan C or plan D.

With them in the overworld, Dream and I have plenty of time to collect gold and trade with the piglin for enderpearls. While I was fighting with Sapnap and Ant, Dream had used his time to collect blaze rods, getting that out of the way.

We're able to quickly trade with the piglins and get sixteen enderpearls, more than enough to get us to the end.

We swiftly make our way back to the nether portal, cautious and ready for anything when going through, just incase the boys set a trap.  
Luckily for us, they're not anywhere around us. But they're being awfully quiet, which is creeping the two of us out. From Dreams past videos, they aren't normally this quiet unless they're planning something.

The two of us make it out of the ravine, still being cautious with every move we make.

"Dream, throw it." I tell him, motioning for him to chuck the eye of ender.

"Guys, they have the eye of enders." Bad comments after hearing me.

"It's fine, it's fine." George reassures him. "Just follow the plan, and it'll work I promise."

I don't like the sound of that. They must be planning for something in the end or with the portal.

Dream and I follow the eye of enders for a long way, through forests and across a small ocean, a couple breaking before one finally goes underground.

"Here! Here! Here!" I cheer, digging down, Dream doing the same beside me.

We drop right down into the stronghold, the achievement message popping up, causing the boys to panic a bit.

And before long, we find the room with the portal, two eyes already placed in the portal. We take a second to prep ourselves before finishing the portal and jumping through.

"They're through!" Sapnap shouts.

"Yes, we see that Sapnap, thank you." George mutters sarcastically.

"Bonez, we're gonna do it!" Dream cheers as he leads the way, building to the main island.

I break the blocks behind us so when the four hunters catch up they'll be delayed a little bit.

"You start on the right, I'll start on the left." Dream decides, the two of us pulling out our bows to shoot the crystals.

We each take out four before four messages pop up in chat, each hunter gaining the end achievement.

"Damn it." I mutter, shooting a fifth crystal.

"Language." Bad quickly comments.

I laugh lightly, letting Dream take care of the other two crystals while I go see where the others are.

I reach the area of the island they should be building to, crouching on the edge and looking at them, each of them wearing iron armor with one piece of diamond armor.  
I suddenly frown, only seeing three building across.

I gasp as I realize what one of them did as soon as the bitch taps me from behind, knocking me off. I quickly get an enderpearl in my hand and throw it back onto the land, saving myself and Dream from losing the game so easily.

"Damn you George!" I shout, teleporting a couple blocks behind him.

He laughs, charging right at me. I fight with him, both of us using the shield to block. George uses a diamond sword, but Dream had told me to make sure I use my axe when fighting with them, he even helped me practice pvp, which was helpful even if I was already pretty good at pvp.

I swear I have George low on health and I'm just about to hit him again before someone else attacks me from the side.

Sapnap and George both attack me, Ant and Bad going after Dream as he now starts getting hits on the dragon.

I sprint away from Sapnap and George, my health getting dangerously low. I tower up against one of the end pillars, making a protective barrier so the boys can't shoot me while I heal up.

After a couple more seconds, I jump down, using a water bucket to break my fall. I'm able to attack George while dodging both his and Sapnaps attacks, a couple minor hits landing on me.

A message that Dream has killed Ant pops up as soon as a death message pops up for George too.

Suddenly, while I fight with Sapnap, using some of Georges better tools and armor, I notice the dragons health going back up.

"The dragon's health is going back up!" I shout, confused. "How is that even happening?!"

I hear Bad giggle, immediately spotting him standing by an end crystal placed in the middle of the island, the dragon using that to regenerate health.

"Bad!" Dream exclaims, charging at him while I fight with Sapnap in the distance.

Dream breaks every end crystal Bad places down, eventually having to fight both Bad and George while I fight Sapnap and Ant.

After killing them multiple times, taking turns escaping the hunters and going in to get hits on the dragon, we finally get the dragon to low health, only one more hit needed.

But I'm currently at the top of an end tower, two hearts and no food left as I look for a way out, Ant and George now towering up after me. Dream also can't land the final hit, Sapnap and Bad being very careful and not letting him get past them.

I nervously watch as the two hunters chasing me get closer to the top, my death almost a guarantee at this point.

"It's not looking too good Bonez." Dream comments, spotting me up at the top with George and Ant getting close.

The dragon flies by me, giving me a very obvious idea. "Maybe, but I have one more idea." I mutter.

I get out my bow, watching carefully as the dragon flies around, most likely not landing anytime soon.

"Here it goes." I mumble, jumping off the tower just as George and Ant get to the top, just missing me.

I take aim at the dragon, everything ten times more difficult since I'm moving and the dragon is also moving. If I miss this we lose. I mean we were gonna lose if I didn't do this too, but this gives us a small chance.

With only a couple seconds left I fire the arrow, holding my breath as it shoots across the dark sky, straight for the dragon. I hits her and she begins to die, the effect of her exploding being shown and an achievement showing up in chat just before I hit the ground and die.

_HolyBonez has made the achievement [Free the End]_

"YES!" I shout, slamming my hands down on my desk. "Yes! We won!"

"WE DID IT!" Dream exclaims. "Holy shit! That was amazing Bonez!"

We continue to cheer and celebrate, the four hunters groaning at their loss before congratulating us, none of them sore losers.

"That was actually pretty damn cool Bonez." George comments.

"Yeah, I thought we had you for sure." Ant laughs.

The other two agree, commenting about that last shot I took.

After stopping all our recordings, Clay tells us he'll post the video tomorrow night, so we can post ours after him.

We all say our goodbyes then get off, giving our eyes a break from the screen after playing for hours.

Clay and I head down to the couch so relax, Clay bringing his laptop down so he can edit the video while I silently watch.

"Bad says we should hang out sometime, he lives near me." Clay says, not looking away from the screen.

"That'd be fun." I hum.

"I'll text him tomorrow." he says, before realizing something else. "Oh yeah, can you give me your recording too? I wanna put the plays you did in this video, like the ladder and the final shot."

"Tomorrow." I happily nod, wrapping my arm around his and leaning my head against his shoulder. "Right now, I just wanna stay like this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just before posting this chapter on Wattpad a few months ago, i hit #1 on the Dream tag :]


	11. Chadnap & Greg

_"Tomorrow." I happily nod, wrapping my arm around his and leaning my head against his shoulder. "Right now, I just wanna stay like this."_

______________________

I wake up in my bed alone today, we'll except for Patches, just no Clay. Which is actually odd because after he edited his video on the couch for a bit, we hung out for a couple hours then came and laid down together for the night in my room.

I reach down slowly, attempting to pet Patches before she runs.  
As soon as my hand comes in contact with her fur she jumps up and quickly bolts out of the room.

"Damn it." I sigh, letting my hand flop down in defeat.

I stretch my limbs, doing that thing where you shake violently, guaranteeing a good stretch.

I let my arms plop down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as the sunlight shines through the blinds.

I listen for any type of movement in the house, but here nothing. So Clay either left the house, or went to sleep in his own bed for some reason. What if he moved because he now thinks it's weird that we sleep together, or he just doesn't like being around me anymore.

I sit up, my eyebrows furrowed as I throw the blankets off my body, getting out of bed and heading towards the door. I need to find him, I know the second thought I had is very likely to be untrue, but doubt does like to sneak up and heavily cover my better judgment. I just gotta know, nothings wrong.

"Clay?" I mumble, checking downstairs first before heading back upstairs to look up there.

I check the other rooms before reaching his room, his door shut. I hesitate opening the door, he most likely shut it for a reason.

I turn around, walking back into my room while I give myself a talk about reasons why I shouldn't, then should open the door.

I finally decide why the fuck not, the should side of my head winning, which is definitely the most dangerous side of my head.

I quickly spin around, turning left around the corner of my doorway towards Clays room.  
Just as I turn the corner, I smack into something damp, warm, and hard.

"Ouch." I mutter, stumbling back a few steps. "Motherfucker, that hurt."

I rub my nose, praying it won't start bleeding like it did the other day. I look back up at what I ran into, my eyes widening.

Clay's standing in front of me in nothing but a fucking towel. His bare skin exposed everywhere except for where the towel is barely wrapped around his waist, Clay clutching it tightly after he stumbled backwards too.

I look away from the towel, my eyes wandering up towards his chest that I smacked against. He stares at me with wide eyes, his hair still wet and dripping from strands hanging in front of his face.

"Wow." I mumble in awe. He's pretty damn muscular for a dude who sits and plays Minecraft for hours every day. He's not totally ripped, but you can definitely see the faint outline of his abs.

My eyes somehow widen even more, a dark red blush blooming across my entire face as I realize what I had just said aloud to him.

"I-I'm so sorry Clay." I quickly stutter, embarrassed and now nervous since I finally understand that the only thing keeping him somewhat decent is a damn towel. "I-I didn't mean that in like a bad way. I just saw you- it was just hard not to look-"

I don't even allow him to say anything as I loudly blurt out the rest of my pathetic apology, if you can even call it that. "You look good! Is uh, what I think I'm trying to say... I don't know."

I quickly crouch down, looking down and covering my face with my hands. I hide my eyes and most of the blush, waiting for him to think I'm completely insane and just lock himself in his room.

But instead of leaving, he begins laughing.

Confused, I peek between my fingers, looking up to see him hunched over, holding his stomach as he wheezes.

I continue to stare in confusion at him as he laughs.

"What?" I mumble, hesitantly standing up as his laughing slows.

He smiles, looking at me. "You're flustered, and your face is as red as a tomato."

My mouth opens in shock and offense. "Well sorry I can't help it when an attractive guy is standing almost _naked_ in front of me!"

I cross my arms, pouting and turning to the side. From the corner of my eye I can see him shift a little closer, a large smirk plastered on his face.

"You think I'm attractive?" if I couldn't already see the shit eating grin on his face, I could definitely hear it in his voice.

I spin away from him, walking off towards my room. "Go put some clothes on _Dream_!" I shout at him over my shoulder, roughly shutting the door behind me.

"I'm _your_ Dream!" his muffled voice shouts from the hallway.

I groan, throwing myself face first on my bed, my face practically burning at this point. _What does he mean by_ my _Dream?_ He's not mine, and I don't dream about him. I mean, I can't remember what I dream about, but if I could remember I'm sure it wouldn't be him.

I don't even like like him. Right...?  
I sit up in bed, groaning again at how childish I sound in my head.

It's easy to get distracted or flustered by him because I live with the guy. He's the one I owe so much to. He saved me.

I constantly see him, so of course he'd be what I'm thinking about a lot of the time.

Like when I run my fingers through his soft blond hair while he lays down on my stomach. Or his emerald green eyes every time he looks down at me, his gorgeous smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His kind, funny, energetic personality that's there for me when I need it, and even when I think I don't.

"Fuck." I breath, the realization practically smacking me in the face.

I've fallen for Clay.   
And boy have I fallen hard.

•—— _time skip, one week_ ——•

I groan loudly as I'm violently shaken awake.

"What the _fuck_ , do you want?" I mutter, turning away from the blond lying beside me.

He shakes me harder. "Cmon' we have to get ready for today."

I groggily open my eyes and furrow my brows as I think hard, nothing popping up in my head. "What's going on today again?" I ask him, turning back around to face him.

He looks at me like I'm the dumbest person alive. "They guys are flying here later tonight."

"Oh yeah." I say with realization, before closing my eyes again. I'm excited for them to get here but I don't think I can express it this early in the morning.

"So your just going to go back to sleep?" he questions.

"Mmm, what time is it?"

"Eight." he answers.

"Yup, see ya later."

"Y/nnn," he whines, I can hear him lay his head back down on the pillow, getting even with me. "Get up."

"No, they're coming late tonight. Why do we have to wake up so damn early?" I groan.

"Because the house is a mess." he answers simply. "And we need to get groceries for when we eat here."

I sigh loudly, lazily sitting up and opening my eyes again. I yawn, stretching before trying to rub the tiredness from my eyes.

Clay sits up beside me, not needing to actually wake up since he's most likely been up for a little while before me.

I turn to him questioningly. "Didn't you say Darryl is coming over later to help us grocery shop?"

"Yeah I did, but he said he can't make it today so he'll just come tomorrow and stay for a couple days."

"Oh." I respond, nodding my head in understanding.

We sit silently on my bed for a couple moments before I get up.

"Okay. Out, out, out." I shoo, pushing him towards the door. "I need to get ready so we can clean then leave."

"Okay, okay." he grumbles as I push him out into the hallway. "No need to be so aggressive."

I stick my tongue out and blow a raspberry at him, shutting the door right after.

"Feisty," he comments, needing to shout a bit as the door muffles him and he walks towards his room. "I like it!"

My cheeks heat up and I groan loudly, turning around to change and get ready.  
I look for something more comfortable to wear for now, most likely keeping it on until we leave to get George and Nick later tonight.

I sigh as I rummage through my drawers, pushing what I won't be wearing to the side before finally pulling out a pair of plain grey sweats. I switch to a different drawer, pulling out the first thing my hand grabs, a black t-shirt. I quickly throw it on, not bothering to look at what shirt I picked.

I shrug it on, getting finished up in the bathroom before heading downstairs to start our cleaning.

As soon as I get downstairs I see Clay and notice that we're somehow matching, both of us wearing grey sweats and a black t-shirt. But there's no way I'm going to comment on that.

Clay looks up from his phone. Seeing me, his eyes widen slightly and he blushes.

I look at him questioningly before looking down to inspect myself. "What?"

"Y/n, that's my shirt." he says, smiling slightly, the blush still on his face.

"W-What?!" I exclaim, pulling at the bottom to try and get a better look at the shirt.

Looking at the words written on the front, I can already tell that this is indeed not my shirt. It's a name of some type of high school, their mascot sitting below the writing.

"Why the hell was it in my drawer?!" I exclaim, trying to hide my embarrassment with fake anger.

He shrugs, turning around. "I could be asking you the same thing."

I keep quiet as he walks past the kitchen and down a small hallway, a small hallway closet, the garage door, and a guest room all down that way.  
He also has one more bathroom, the door to it also down the hall.

I watch as he pulls a vacuum and duster from the hall closet. He rolls the vacuum across the living room, stopping it in front of me.

"You vacuum the whole house and I'll dust." he starts, setting up an entire plan just to clean the house. "Then, I'll pick up everything and you'll clean the windows and mirrors, I'll also wipe down all the counters and you can do the dishes. Sound good?"

He doesn't even give me a chance to respond as he grabs my hand and forces a high five. "Cool then, let's go!"

I stand there, watching as he runs off to begin dusting. I laugh to myself, shaking my head as I begin my chores.

_____

"Oh God." I groan, panting as I flop face first onto the couch. "I'm so tired of cleaning. I hate it."

"Why did we clean so.. aggressively?" Clay groans too. "I'm so much more tired than I should be."

"I don't care if the queen of England is coming over, I'm never doing that again."

"George would probably be the one to clean for that." Clay chuckles at his own joke.

I laugh with him for a moment before sitting up and grabbing my phone from the coffee table since we used it to listen to music, blaring it across the entire house.

"What the hell." I say in shock, looking at the time.

Clay leans over too look too. "How is it Twelve?"

I push him back by his forehead, too hot to have someone in my personal space. He protests but lays back down on the couch.

"This is good though, it gives us plenty of time to shop then rest until we have to pick up the boys." I mumble, planning the rest of the day out in my head.

"Remember we have to wait at the airport for an hour after Nick gets there so we can get George." Clay reminds me, not bothering to sit up.

"Right, okay." I clap my hands, standing up. "Let's go then."

I finally feel the excitement run through my body, giving me extra adrenaline that'll get me through the day.

Clay groans, protesting until I finally drag him off the couch. We don't bother changing or anything before we leave to the grocery store.

And after about three and a half hours in the store, me having to tell Clay to put the extra boxes of junk food away since we already have so much.   
I will not allow us to eat only junk food, even though I can't cook well, I'm going to make sure we eat at least three good dinners.

When we get back to Clays house, the two of us have a competition on who could carry in the most grocery bags into the house. I had quickly grabbed eight lighter bags, running in then running back out to grab more, only to be stopped by Clay as he attempts to drag fourteen bags to the house.

Since those are the last bags, I shut the trunk of the car then hurry to help him. I figure I won the competition, since I had brought more in, but he doesn't have to know.

"Look." Clay says, getting my attention from putting things away in the fridge.

I turn around and notice a bunch of ingredients out on the countertop. "What's this?"

"We're going to make cookies!" he grins. "And not the lazy ones that come straight from a box, they're gonna be made from scratch."

I grin, shaking my head before agreeing.  
I quickly put everything into the fridge before getting started on the cookies with Clay.

After a very argumentative thirty minutes of trying to get all the ingredients mixed into the bowl, having to restart a couple times since _someone_ didn't measure correctly, we finally put the cookie dough on a tray and throw them in the oven.

"See, that wasn't so hard _Clay_!" I say accusingly.

"Me?!" he screeches, pointing an accusing finger right back at me. " _You're_ the one that couldn't measure the cups right!"

"Well at least I didn't make a mess!" I shoot back, gesturing to the countertop before looking up at the ceiling.  
"CLAY! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET IT ON THE CEILING?!"

"THAT WAS YOU!" he shouts. "THAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU KEPT TAKING THE FLOUR FROM ME!"

"I don't know what your talking about.." I mumble, grabbing a wet washcloth to clean up the flour on the counter.

Clays hand hits the counter beside me, startling me slightly. He leans down beside me, using his finger to turn my head towards him.

My eyes widen and I blush at how close he is to me.

He smirks, using his thumb to wipe at something on my cheek. "You have flour on you." he mutters before licking the flour off his thumb.

My mouth hangs open slightly and my heart feels like it's beating a million miles a minute.

Seeing my flustered face, he grins wider before pushing off the counter. He grabs the washcloth from me and pushes me out of the kitchen. "Don't worry, I'll clean this up. You should get ready so we can pick the guys up after these are done."

I silently nod, making my way across the living room before practically sprinting upstairs.

I get in my room and slam my door shut, leaning back against it, my hand covering my mouth. _What the fuck did he just do?_ Why _did he just do that?_

I run my hand across the spot on my face he touched, blushing again as my mind goes back to him licking the flour off his own thumb.   
That definitely didn't help calm down my feelings for him.

I quickly get changed into something nicer, excitement pushing away the feeling I had moments earlier. I put on a jean skirt that's fitted at my waist, a plain white t-shirt tucked into them. I brush my hair since it's become a mess, and put on some light makeup because why not.

I hear Clay head into his own room and take that as a chance to safely run down into the living room.

The timer for the cookies beeps after a couple minutes. Once I take them out and put them on the stove to cool, Clay excitedly comes running down, having heard the oven beep.

He stands beside me, reaching his hand out to grab one but I quickly smack his hand away.  
"Let them cool." I tell him.

We wait for them to cool down before putting them in a tuber ware so we can take them with us.

I look at the time, my eyes widening at how long we sat around today. "Clay! We gotta go, it's almost six!"

I grab the container with the cookies and run to the door, slipping my vans on as Clay nervously rushes upstairs, telling me he'll be down in a sec and to get in the car.

I eye him suspiciously, heading out the door once he's out of sight.

I get in the passenger seat, turning the car on since I have the keys. My eyes flick up to the front door once Clay steps through, turning around to lock the door before making his way to the car in the driveway.

I immediately know somethings wrong when he gets in the car, he seems nervous and scared. I watch him as he backs the car down the driveway before we head off, he anxiously taps the steering wheel with his index finger as he drives.

I reach my hand out and gently place it on his arm, causing him to jump slightly and stop tapping. I keep my hand there, gently rubbing circles to try and comfort him.

I stay quiet up until we arrive at the airport, about fifteen minutes from the house. "Clay, what's wrong?" I ask gently.

He shakes his head, nervously laughing it off. "It's nothing, don't worry."

I look at him unamused, not buying it one bit. "Clay, somethings wrong, you've been anxious the whole drive."

He finds a parking spot, turning the car off before he puts his hands in his lap, sighing as he leans his head back. "I'm just worried."

I frown. "About what? Meeting them in person?"

He shrugs. "That's part of it."

"Is it about them seeing your face?" I ask calmly. "I know you brought your stuff with you."

He chuckles lightly, his finger going back up to tap the steering wheel. "I was that obvious about it huh?"

I smile sadly. "Clay you have nothing to be worried about."

"Well, what if they have this almost perfect picture of me in their heads, and when they see me they get disappointed I'm not what they thought?" he says, pouring his thoughts and worries out. He looks stressed and as if he's about to start crying, but I know he won't.

"Nick has been hyping me up as hot, what if they think I'm unattractive and ugly? What if they don't like the way I look, or they don't want to be friends anymore, or-"

I stop his rambling, not wanting him to think that. "Clay, these are your best friends. They would never judge you based on what you look like. I've known you guys for maybe two, three weeks, and I know that you three are very close. Your appearance isn't going to ruin anything I promise you that."

I let a little laugh escape my lips. "And you want them to think of you as attractive?"

He turns to me, grinning slightly. "Yes, who doesn't want their bros to think they're hot?"

I laugh and his smile falls slightly, which doesn't go unnoticed by me.

"I'm sure they'll think you're a total hottie." I assure him. "Remember last week when I said you were attractive? Well I meant it."

His big grin reappears. "I'm also pretty sure I remember I was almost completely naked."

"Clay!" I hit him on the head. "I was trying to cheer you up with the facts."

"I know." he laughs, reaching out for me. "And I'm thankful. You've made this decision a lot easier for me."

I let him pull me into an embrace, returning it. "You can obviously wear your mask and sunglasses if you want, I won't stop you if your uncomfortable."

He sighs happily. "I'm gonna keep it off. I'll let them see the face you say is so attractive."

I grin, pulling away from him and opening my door. "Well then let's go get Nick."

_____

We stand around in the airport by baggage claim, Nick texted us which he's going to after he gets off the plane.

I stand a little behind Clay, not wanting Nick to see me and ruin our plan to surprise him.

"Look, he's right there." Clay whispers, pointing across the room.

I peek over his shoulder, seeing Nick looking down at his phone as he slowly walks towards the baggage carousel, occasionally looking up to try and spot me or make sure he doesn't run into anyone.

I suddenly get a text, looking at my phone I see it's from Nick, another one was sent from George a little while ago.

 **Snapmap**  
hey i'm here  
wya?

I can't help but laugh every time he's looked up from his phone and looked straight at Clay before looking away.

 **Y/n**  
almost to the baggage claim

He texts a quick okay before heading to grab his stuff, Clay taking this chance to walk up right beside him, reaching for his bag too.

I stay close enough so that I can hear them talk, Nick awkwardly laughing as he explains that that's his bag.

"I know, Nick." Clay says, pulling the bag down and setting it on the ground.

I grin, walking up beside Clay as Nick stares at the two of us with wide eyes, recognizing my face and Clays voice.

I wave slightly, Nick suddenly pulling both of us into a tight hug.

Clay chuckles, patting Nicks back.   
Nick pulls away, grinning widely at me then the blond standing to my right, studying his face.

I notice Clay nervously clenching his fists so I gently grab his hand.

"Oh my gosh! This is crazy!" Nick exclaims, getting some looks from people around us. "Dream- Clay! Dude, you look great man!"

Clay let's out a breath of relief. "Thanks Nick, you look great too."

I laugh at them shaking my head. "You guys really do like to flirt with each other."

"Of course. I'll flirt with Dream anytime."

The three of us laugh before heading off and finding somewhere to sit and wait for George. We go through a couple of the cookies Clay and I made, but I eventually have to close the lid to save some for George.

We talk about random things for an hour before having to get up and head to baggage claim once George texts me he's here.

This time, Clay and Nick just run right up to George, almost tackling the older one to the ground, Clays new confidence showing.

I reach the three of them as they pull apart from their group hug, all three laughing.  
I pull George into a hug, happy their group is together now.

George also takes in Clays appearance, like how Nick had, surprised and glad to finally see what his friend actually looks like. He comments something about how attractive Clay looks, causing Nick to join in too.

We talk about random things the entire way back to Clays house, Clay and I laughing every time George or Nick call him Dream by accident, not yet used to calling him by his actual name.

It feels good to see them all together in person and not just talking online. I haven't know them long, but I'm glad they include me, and I'm definitely glad I get to be here to see this moment between three friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate title for this chapter- the boys, but that was lacking flavor


	12. "Just a Friend"

_It feels good to see them all together in person and not just talking online. I haven't know them long, but I'm glad they include me, and I'm definitely glad I get to be here to see this moment between three friends._

______________________

I wake up alone in my own bed. Enjoying all the free space, I spread my arms and legs across the entire bed, stretching before sitting up. The ball of fur that usually sleeps with me, taking off again.

Last night when the four of us had gotten home from the airport, all three of the boys completely crashed on the couch. I don't think they even changed into more comfortable clothes before passing out.

But I wasn't going to do that, instead I came upstairs to sleep in my own room, taking advantage of my last night in it for a week.

On the drive home, we decided that Nick gets the spare bedroom downstairs, George gets my room, and I'm sleeping with Clay in his room. Since the two have already found out we've slept together they figured there's no point in one of them sleeping on the couch when I can just stay with Clay.

Clay and I hadn't said anything, neither of us protesting the idea, which got George and Nick laughing.

Someone would have to sleep together anyways, since Darryl is also coming over and spending a couple days here, not as long as Nick and George though since he has stuff to do.

I pick my phone up off the charger, checking the time. Nine am.

Which means I have about an hour or two to do what I have planned, which shouldn't even take that long. It's something I shouldn't have waited so long to do, and I feel guilty about not saying anything.

I get up, slowly and quietly opening my door and sneaking down the hallway towards the stairs. I crouch down at the top and peek down at the couch, making sure the three of them are still knocked out cold.

They're all lying across the couch in uncomfortable looking positions. Clays arm is sprawled across Georges face, and one of George's legs is over Nicks back, Nick lying on his stomach. All three of them snoring loudly.

Knowing they're asleep, I make my way back into my room, shutting the door before heading to my pc, sitting down in my chair and turning it on, going to Twitch to stream. It's about time I at least let my viewers know I'm safe and okay. Clay was right, like always, about me needing to address this, even just to say everything's okay.

I want to do this on my own, no Clay or Nick or George backing me up, so I can't let them know I'm doing this. I'll say something to them about it when they wake up, and we had even all agreed to announce that we're all together for a week. But I won't be saying anything about that on this stream, this one will be quick and serious.

I'm just going to play it safe and not tweet out about it, just incase any of the boys have my notifications on for me like I do for them. I don't want them waking up until after I'm done.

Deciding that a black screen would be too boring, I load up Minecraft, getting on a world and going in F5 mode so my viewers can see my character.

I nervously start my stream, titling it "Quick and serious talk". I stay silent as people quickly begin to join, the name of the stream drawing people in quicker than usual.

While I quietly wait, I skim over the chat, everyone asking what's wrong, if I'm okay, what happened. The chat is going too fast for me to actually read any messages, but from the glimpses I get, I can tell they're worried and curious.

With enough viewers, I take a deep breath and begin. "Hi everyone. So as you've noticed, I went MIA for the last two weeks. Something happened, which I'm choosing to keep private, but it had put me in a bad place."

I glance at chat, seeing mostly encouraging and supportive messages hoping I'm doing well and to take my time. Of course there's a couple rude comments, but I ignore those and continue on.

"I was thankfully helped and taken out of that situation by someone very kind, and if you watch this as some point, I want to say thank you once again. I know I've told you so many times before, but I just need you to know how grateful I am. I know it must've been a hard decision to go so out of your way because we hadn't even know each other that long, yet you still did and you helped me.

But now on to my content, streaming and recording wasn't a priority nor did I think it's was a good thing for me to do then and now, but I do plan on coming back and streaming for Mcc."

As I take a breath to think about what else I should address, I get a donation. I hadn't even thought to turn them off, and the comment rudely points that out.

 **hater42069** ~ donated $10  
 _wow, you seek attention and keep your donations on.. it's good to know you just want money and peoples pity. unsub, lol._

I frown, feeling anger bubble up. I push it down and take another deep breath, staying calm while telling off this bitch.

"Thank you so much for pointing that out! I actually hadn't even thought of my donations because of how quick I wanted this stream to be. But since you did donate money, thank you by the way, I'm going to make sure to give everything to a charity for researching child cancer!" I announce in a cheery tone, showing that the rude comment didn't get to me.

"And I'm not looking for any kind of attention. I've been on Twitter, and I've seen everyone's messages that are worried about me, so I came here to tell everyone I'm doing okay. Unfollow me if you want, I don't give a fuck."

I stay on and talk for a little longer, repeating and going over a couple things for people who joined late. A couple more people donate with positive messages, glad I'm giving everything to a charity.

"Okay guys, I wanted to keep this short, so I'm gonna get off. Thank you all for the support and nice words, I'll be back for good in two weeks for Mcc. Oh, and there's going to be some special surprises for you guys on Twitter later. Thanks everyone, I love you guys." I say goodbye, waving even though no one can see me, then sign off.

I lay my head back against the chairs headrest, letting out a sigh of relief. I feel a weight being lifted off my chest after doing that, a problem finally being cleared up and talked about.   
Clay was right, it does feel better to tell them something. I can't ever tell him I thought he was right, that'd go straight to his head.

I pick my phone up off my desktop, making sure to gather all the donations from my stream and donate it all to charity before heading to the bathroom to freshen myself up.

I brush my teeth and hair, deciding to stay in my pajamas and head downstairs to wake the boys up.

When I can see them from the stairs, I notice they're already up, and it looks like they've been up for a little bit.

They all look up at me, Nick and George on both sides of Clay as they crowd around the blonds phone.  
When they see me, small smiles pull at all of their lips, letting me know they watched the stream live.

Clay puts his phone down and walks up to me, the other two boys behind him.

Clay wraps his arms around me, hugging me tightly. He lays his head against mine.

"Y/n, helping you from that situation wasn't a hard choice at all." he mumbles. "It was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make."

I pull away from him slightly, noticing the tears threatening to escape, his eyes glossy and a sad but happy smile on his face.

I can't help the tears that begin to fall down my own face as I realize how genuine his words to me are.

"Really?" I ask, just wanting to make sure.

He quickly nods before hugging me again, both of us now crying in each others arms.

"You two are cute and all, but George and I would like to express our joy and how proud we are too." Nick says, him and George standing behind Clay.

"Yeah, step aside Clay, it's our turn." George adds.

I laugh, Clay and I wiping the sappy tears off our cheeks before the blond moves to let George pull me into a hug then Nick.

"Thank you guys, I promise I'll fill you in sometime." I chuckle, pulling away from Nicks hug. "I don't want you two to feel left out."

"Don't even worry about it." George says, waving his hand. "We're worried, but this week is about fun."

"Yeah!" Nick cheers, getting excited. "We're gonna have so much fun, there'll be no room for any other emotion!"

"Slow down there Nick." George laughs. "We still haven't even planned our days out yet."

"George is right," Clay says. "We'll wait until Darryl gets here, then we'll plan out the week with him before tweeting out the surprise."

I nod excitedly at Clays plan. "We should take a picture of the four of us for now, just for ourselves."

The three boys agree and after we've gotten changed and ready for the day, we get together for a picture while we wait for Darryl, who should be here any minute. He told Clay that he had left early for the two hour drive.

We take a couple group pictures, some with both Clay and my face showing, and some without our faces in it. I needed to stand on the couch so my head would be cropped off, Clay not having to since he's already tall.

Once we take a couple for our viewers, we set the camera up with a timer so we can take dumb posed pictures, a couple coming out serious but the majority of them have us bursting out laughing from how stupid we look.

After about twenty minutes, the doorbell rings and a couple rapid knocked follow after.

Clay runs to the door to let Darryl in, leaving me Nick and George in the living room while we scroll through our photos.

A few moments later, Clay walks back into the room talking with Darryl as he shows him around.

I'm the first one to jump up from the couch and greet him, followed closely by Nick while George takes his time.

Since I'm not too close with Darryl yet, I'm not sure how to greet him exactly. Do I give him a hug? A handshake- no that's dumb. A high-five? Wait that's kinda dumb too.

Before I can think about it any longer, Darryl is the one to pull me into a group hug with him and Nick.

I laugh, hugging back before pulling away.

"It's so great to finally see you Y/n!" Darryl happily exclaims, his voice suddenly getting lower as he gets closer to me. "Clay had told me _a lot_ about you while we were texting about my trip here."

"Darryl!" Clay exclaims, his cheeks getting a little red.

"Oh come on Clay," George sighs. "You act like you hadn't texted us about her either."

Nick agrees, nodding his head along with George.

"Okay but- ugh!" Clay grumbles, heading towards the couch. "Never mind."

I laugh lightly, not wanting to react much and get him more deflated. I quiet myself before sitting down beside the blond on the couch, Nick on the floor beside me, George on the floor across the table, and Darryl on a separate part of the couch.

"Okay, I say we plan our days out." George says, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen and writing the days of the week out.

After talking it over for a little while we finally decide what we'll be doing each day, with a couple open spots to add stuff in on each day.

Sunday was Darryls idea to have a movie and arcade day. We'll go to the movies and watch whatever he picks, then go back home to watch more movies, which Nick and Clay had made sure are scary movies. For dinner, we'd be going out for sushi, then to an arcade before heading back to Clays house late at night to continue bingeing scary movies.

Monday was Nicks idea, the amusement park. Clay had immediately protested against the idea, but since everyone else was excited about it, we chose that for Monday's activity. The park should also be less crowded since most people should be at work.

As Nick was writing the plan down under Monday in his sloppy handwriting, I notice Clay nervously bouncing his foot. I discreetly reach over and lay my hand on his thigh, causing him to stop bouncing his foot.  
He looks over at me, smiling in thanks and seemingly calming down.

Tuesday was Georges idea, the water park. There were no complains there, everyone in the group liking the idea. I even get to wear one of my new bathing suits that I had gotten recently.

Wednesday, Darryl has to leave so we chose to stay home and chill at the house, maybe even having our own little party.

Thursday was my idea to go to the fair Clay had said is in town. We'd go later in the day when it's not as bright out and the fair lights would be on, which is when it'll be the prettiest.

Friday was Clay's idea, we'd be going to a nearby beach. Darryl had complained about not being able to go to the beach, so we had suggested switching it so he could go, but he had liked the other ideas too much to switch them out.

And Sunday was the day Nick and George were sadly leaving, so we're not going to be doing anything. We might go out for lunch and do something for the last couple hours before we have to drop them off.

"Oh my gosh." I mumble, looking down at the page of activities we have. "I'm already tired just looking at this list."

"Look we have two giant park days, one right after the other." George points out.

"We can't switch the days," Clay says. "Darryl wants to do those, and if we switch one to Sunday, it'll most likely be crowded."

Nick nods, pointing at Clay. "That is an excellent observation, thank you Clay."

I laugh as Clay rolls his eyes, chuckling lightly.

"Okay," George claps. "The week is planned out, now all we have to do is announce we're together for our viewers."

"Everyone get set up for a picture." Nick says. He points at both me and Clay. "The two of you will sit up on the couch to crop your heads off, and the three of us will sit on the couch."

"Wow, thanks Nick." I say sarcastically, already climbing to sit on the back of the couch. "Where would we all be without your guidance?"

"Most likely dead." he responds. "If I don't hold your guys' hands and lead you, you all just might walk right into danger."

"Oh yeah?" I ask.

"Yup."

"How about you just come get in the picture, idiot." George groans from his spot on the couch, everyone else ready except for Nick.

"I'll get in the picture when I want to." Nick mutters, crossing his arms and turning his head the other way.

I glance at George then the other two while we sit in silence, waiting for Nick to drop the childish act.

He looks over his shoulder at us, our eyebrows raised. He sighs, dropping his arms and trudging towards us, plopping down on the couch.

"There we go." I grin, leaning over to poke him in the side.

His expression changes to a grin, and George gets our attention so we focus on the camera as he lifts it for a picture.

Clay and I sit up straight on the top of the couch with the three other boys sitting on the seats below us. Nick puts his arms around George and Darryl's shoulders, all three of them grinning as George readies the camera.

I cross one leg over the other, putting up the peace sign with one hand. I feel Clay scoot closer to me, bumping our shoulders together while he puts up two peace signs. The two of us smile for the camera, even if our faces won't be shown.

As George spams the button to take photos, the three boys change poses. Clay and I deciding to switch from peace signs to holding up the middle finger.

Nick moves back, pushing against my legs and causing me to fall backwards.

I shout as I fall off the back of the couch, Clay reacting by trying to reach for me and save me from falling. But he misses and falls right after me, the other three immediately standing up and looking over the back of the couch.

I groan, reaching up to rub the back of my head. Clay groans in pain above me too, lifting himself up so he's propped above me, his hands on both sides of my head and his knees straddling my waist.

I stare up at him, both of us laughing nervously.

We hear giggling and a sudden click from above us. Clay scrambles off me, moving into a sitting position beside me. I prop myself up and glare and Nick, George, and Darryl as they laugh, the phone pointed down at us.

George snaps another photo of our embarrassed faces before they all collapse back in the couch in laughter.

I quickly stand up, reaching over the back of the couch for the phone. "Delete that George!"

"Which one?" George gasps in between his laughter. "I have like twenty!"

"Lemme see!" Nick laughs, holding his hand out.

George hands the phone to him and he scrolls through the pictures, laughing even harder, Darryl also laughs as he looks over his shoulder.

"Okay, okay!" Clay mumbles, trying to snatch the phone from Nick.

He manages to successfully get his hands on it, having to fight Nick for it before he's able to pull it away. I stand beside Clay, looking down at the phone screen, but it's black.

"Nick!" I growl, leaning over the couch and hitting him before moving to George.

Nick gets the phone back to George, who then sends the two best ones to everyone, including me and Clay.

I grumble and I sit down, look at the two pictures. The first one is a sorta blurry photo of the two of us falling backwards, Clay reaching back for me. And the second is when when we were both on the ground, Clay on his hands and knees above me.

I blush, glancing up at him while he talks with the others on the other side of the couch. He's seemingly already over the whole thing. I decide to join their conversation of posting the group picture we took.

"We'll all post it, but what if we stream too?" Darryl suggests.

"I wouldn't want all of us to stream, I say we just have Nick stream it." Clay says.

"If he does then we won't get as many viewers, but the word will get out to everyone quickly." George jokes.

"Hey! I get just as many viewers as you George!" Nick defends himself.

It's true, Nick does get almost just as many viewers as George so we should be fine with our amount of people watching. But I can't help but laugh as they argue with each other, George finally telling him he was just joking.

"Well, let's just post the picture first." I tell them. "And how are Clay and I supposed to be in the stream anyways? We haven't done a face reveal. And cropping our heads off the whole time sounds kinda dumb."

"Wait." Clay says, putting up his index finger before racing upstairs, running back down after a couple seconds.

He sits down beside me, handing me a face mask that matches the one in his other hand and a pair of sunglasses, the color different from his.

"Well, never mind." I grin, taking it from him while Nick sets up the stream on a computer we put on the table.

I pull out my phone and go to Twitter, the others doing the same.

I attach the image with a message, waiting for the boys to finish theirs. We look over each others phones, making sure we all agree to write almost the same thing before hitting post.

 **bonez** @:HolyBonez  
 _< one image attached>_  
ugh they all fr stink . look out for a stream on one of our Twitch accounts, something might be happening :p

The likes, comments, and retweets start rolling in on each of our posts, everyone completely freaking out that we're all together.

I get a notification of a comment on my post that Nick had made. Seeing it, I decide I'll respond.

|  
 **sapnap2** @ :twsimpnap  
haha, we're the first to see dreams face

|  
 **bonez** @ :HolyBonez  
actually, i was the first to see his face so haha

|  
 **George** @ :GeorgeNootFound  
she got us there snapmap

|  
 **dream2** @ :dreamwastaken2   
calm down ladies and whatever Bonez is, you've all seen how hot i am

I look across the couch to Clay, gasping in mock offense. "How dare you."

He grins before going back to his phone, everyone laughing.

|  
 **Bonez** @ :HolyBonez  
ouch, my heart

|  
 **TommyInnit** @ :tommyinnit  
WHAT THE FUCK AM I MISSING??

|  
 **Tubbo** @ :TubboLive  
Tommy i think they met without us

|  
 **Wilbur Soot** @ :WilburSoot  
Yes thank you for clearing that up Tubbo

|  
 **Bonez** @ :HolyBonez  
IM SORRY YOU GUYS

|  
 **sapnap2** @ :twsimpnap  
i'm right beside her, she's not sorry

I can tell everyone here is following along with the thread on my post because they all start giggling after Nick tweets his reply to me.

I turn to Nick and punch his shoulder harshly. "Don't say that! You make me look like a bad person!"

"You're acting like one right now!" Nick exclaims, attempting to block the blows I keep dealing to him.

|  
 **Eret** @ :The_Eret  
Guys, she's a nice person we'll forgive her

|  
 **dream2** @ :dreamwastaken2   
she's literally beating the shit out of Nick right now

|  
 **TommyInnit** @ :tommyinnit  
women are crazy

|  
 **Tubbo** @ :TubboLive  
Yes

|  
 **BadBoyHalo** @ :SaintsofGames  
We really don't want to intervene.

Once I finally stop beating up Nick I return back to my phone to finally end this trashy thread of messages.

|  
 **Bonez** @ :HolyBonez  
okay, this is the last message on here. goodbye

The others try to reply more but every time they post something I immediately delete it. Most of them realize I won't allow anymore, except for Tommy. He continues to try and reply, only for his messages to get deleted.

"Let's just start this stream." I huff, moving over on the couch beside Clay and grabbing the things he had given me.

Darryl sits on the other side of Clay, George on the other side of me, and Nick sitting on the floor in front of me.

Clay helps me adjust the glasses and mask on my face, fixing it so it doesn't show anything, just like his does.

Nick waits for the two of us to finish up before he starts streaming, nothing on the screen except all five of us, smiling as people begin to join in.

Once enough people are in George begins.

_____

Even after almost twenty minutes of streaming, the chat was still going crazy. We had promised to answer as many questions as they had, as long as none of us were uncomfortable sharing. And they certainly didn't hold back with questions, donations continuously coming in.

A couple so far have been too private for us to share, like what my real name is, our families, and just other random questions none of us felt comfortable answering. But the rest of them we were able to answer, teasing and poking fun at each other with our responses.

One donations said this was a Bonez and Dream mouth reveal, pointing out how our mouths are the only part of our face showing. We both laughed and agreed, playing along and showing off our smiles.

Another donation had asked Darryl to say the worst curse word, which he had absolutely refused, not budging even after our begging. Once he wouldn't say it we decided we wouldn't let the stream down so the rest of us started shouting out the worst profanities we knew, laughing as Darryl got red and demanded we all watched our language.

___

 **PogTimeBich** ~ Donated $20  
 _show us the differences in your heights_

We all stand up, moving the camera back to they can see all of us while we stand up. The five of us move around a bit, arguing over who's taller and who goes where before we finally get in a straight line.

The two obvious heights were Clay and I, everyone already knowing we'd both be on the ends of the line, me being the shortest, and him being the tallest. But the three others in the middle were the more difficult ones since they're all about the same height.

We show off our heights, everyone in chat commenting how much shorter I am than the rest of them.

"I get it, I'm short!" I shout, crossing my arms and sitting back down on the couch.

The others settle into their spots before we move on to the next dono.

 **mcytSimp** ~ donated $25  
 _are dream and bonez a thing?? why are they so close all the time._

My eyes widen, though no one can see, and I quickly jump to dismissing the idea, not wanting anyone to think that. "N- No!"

Clay also seems to get nervous, rubbing the back of his neck while shaking his hand. "Yeah, she's just a friend guys."

_Ouch, that one hurt._

I'm glad no one can see my face because the disappointment is very obvious.

I stay quiet, nervously fiddling with my fingers as the others laugh, Clay shouting at them to stop.

Another ten minutes pass and I begin to get tired of the constant onslaught of questions, some not even questions anymore, people just donate to say Bonezwastaken or HolyDream, putting our two usernames together.

The other four noticed I got tired, letting me lay back and just watch while they excitedly answered a couple more questions before they soon got tired themselves.

I sat back up after George had told them to be ready for a vlog of our activities in about a week. We all happily wave goodbye, Nick aggressively waving before George ended the stream.

I let out a sigh of relief, flipping back into the couch, pulling my mask off at the same time.

After relaxing and watching Tv for the rest of the day, we order something to eat for dinner before heading to bed.

Nick getting the guest bed since he had called it, Darryl being the unlucky one and having to sleep on the couch, and George following Clay and I upstairs. The British boy waves goodnight to the two of us, splitting off and heading into my room, closing the door for the night while Clay and I head into his room.

He leaves the door open a crack before heading to his drawers to get comfortable clothes while I go and change in his bathroom. We switch, both of us now in comfortable clothing and ready for the night.

I awkwardly stand beside his bed, staring at the ground and messing with my hands.

Clay gets in his bed, scooting over then looking up at me, a grin on his face. "You're acting like we haven't slept in the same bed before."

"It just feels different." I mumble. "This is your room, and there's people over."

He chuckles, moving the blanket to reveal the open spot beside him. "Come on, the doors practically shut, they won't peek in on us to make fun."

My face heats up at what he said. Clay also notices what he said, causing his face to also heat up. "I- I mean, not that we'll be doing anything that we wouldn't want them to see. It's just for privacy while we sleep. We all need that, even George shut his door."

I stop his rambling by climbing into bed beside him, giggling lightly at how he tried to clear it up, not that I needed it to be cleared up, I knew what he meant the first time.

Laying beside Clay, I let my eyes close.

"Goodnight Y/n." Clay mumbles.

"Goodnight Clay." I mumble back, shifting closer to him so that I'm laying my head against his chest, his arm wrapped around me.

I soon let sleep take over, figuring I'm going to need as much of it as I can get if I wanna be ready for the long week we have planned out for us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the donation usernames were fire, like always


	13. Deffo Flirting

_I soon let sleep take over, figuring I'm going to need as much of it as I can get if I wanna be ready for the long week we have planned out for us._

____________________

"WAKE UP Y/N! WAKE UP CLAY!" Nick, George, and Darryl all shout in sync, Nick being extra loud by getting close to our ears.

Clay and I immediately jump up, the three boys startling us awake.

I reach out to grasp tightly onto Clay's shirt, the loud shouting making me think I'm in immediate danger.

Which luckily, this isn't a real life or death situation because Clay wouldn't have been much help, and we would've both died. His response was to scream and scoot away, keeping his eyes closed tightly.

"You guys suck!" I shout, glaring at the three giggling boys, Nick collapsed on the side of the bed beside me.

Clay finally registers what's going on, looking at everyone in confusion, his eyes squinting open since he just woke up. "What the..."

George laughs, wiping a fake tear from below his eye. "Your faces. Ah, priceless."

Darryl starts grinning happily at me and Clay. "You two were cuddled up together, it was so cute."

Our faces blush red at Darryl's comment.

Calming down from the fright, I finally release the grip I had on Clay's poor shirt, the clothing wrinkled a bit from how tightly I grabbed him. The both of us sit up in bed, Clay closest to the wall, and me closest to the three boys.

"Yeah," Nick grins. "You guys were sleeping all close together like a married couple."

My eyes widen and I glare down at Nick, daring him to say something like that again.

He ignores my silent threat, opening his mouth for what I'm guessing is another teasing comment, but I don't let him get the chance.

I reach out and give Nick's forehead a hard flick.

He flinches back, stunned, before his face scrunches up in pain.

"Ow!" he exclaims, rubbing his forehead to try and sooth the pain. "What the hell?"

"Keep yo mouth shut, Nicholas." I tell him, sticking my tongue out at him.

He playfully glares. "Don't you wanna know what I was going to say?"

"Not really no." Clay mumbles, his voice low and rough. He rubs his eyes, yawning and stretching right after.

"Tell us Nick." George urges. "Just say it."

"Do it." Darryl encourages.

Nick looks from George and Darryl to me and Clay, a large smirk on his face. "Well, I was just going to say since you two slept together, we should probably watch out for y/n."

I furrow my brows, confused. "And why would you have to do that?"

"We have to make sure the baby is comfortable."

"Nick! What the hell!" Clay shouts, reaching across me to now get his hit in on the brown haired boy. "We didn't sleep together like that and you know it! Don't be a dick!"

George and Nick burst out laughing again, Darryl chuckling lightly, that type of joke just not in his book of funny. His clean mind most likely not even understanding Nick's joke at first.

I roughly throw myself backwards in bed, snatching a pillow from Clay to stuff my face in it and hide my embarrassment.  
Nick just has to say embarrassing shit like that.

Without even looking, I stick my middle finger right in his face, holding it there as he continues laughing with George.

"You guys are so gross." I grumble, my voice muffled by the pillow.  
I let out a loud sigh before removing the pillow from my face. "Why did you guys even wake us up?"

"Aw, did you want to keep sleeping with Clay?" Nick asks, sticking his bottom lip out and acting sad.

"Nick, I'm this close to beating your ass." I growl, using my thumb and pointer finger to show a very, very small gap between the two.

He backs up from the bed, standing up beside Darryl.

"We actually let you two sleep in." George answers me. "But it's almost twelve, and the movie is at one so we had to get you two up."

"We can't be late, I picked a good movie for us to watch." Darryl says. He decided not to tell us until we actually got to the theater.

"We have to be early and watch the trailers that are before the movie." Nick adds. "Those are the best part of the movie theater experience."

"I think the best part about it is not having to listen to Nick for almost two hours straight." Clay jokes.

"What makes you think I won't talk to you during the movie?"

"Common movie theater courtesy." I chime in.

"You can't be a muffin and ruin the experience for others in the theater." Darryl also adds.

Nick groans, being the youngest and having us tell him what to do and not to do getting him frustrated. "What are you guys, my parents?"

He stops before suddenly grinning at me and Clay again, leaning towards us.

"Nick! Stop doing that!" I shout, shoving his face back. He laughs, swatting my hand away and standing up again.

"Everyone out." I say, getting up out of bed, Clay following behind me. I push the other three boys across the room and out the door.  
"Go brush your hair and teeth." I tell them, though it's mostly directed towards Nick.

"But I already did." Nick says, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

I stare blankly at him. "Go do it again."

He frowns, cupping his hand over his mouth and breathing out to check his breath. He squints his right eye as if thinking if it stinks that bad.

Suddenly turning to George, he grabs the boys shoulders and breathes in his face before George could do anything.

"Bleh! Nick that's disgusting!" the British boy shoves him away, waving his hand in front of his disgusted face.

"It's not that bad!" Nick exclaims, worriedly turning towards Darryl. "Cmon' Darryl help me out."

He quickly breathes in Darryls face before he can move away, causing the older boy to wrinkle his nose and back away from Nick. "Oh no, it's pretty bad."

George starts walking towards the stairs, pushing Nick ahead of him while Darryl follows behind. "You must not know how to actually brush your teeth then, _Snapmap_."

"You call me Snapmap again, we're gonna have issues." Nick warns, his voice fading away as they walk down the stairs.

Clay and I laugh as they argue downstairs about showing Nick how to properly brush his teeth.

I keep the door to Clays room open, grabbing an outfit I had set on his desk yesterday so I didn't have to disturb George in the morning. But that didn't matter anyways since he's not even in my room.

Clay let's me go into the restroom first, laying down on his bed while he waits for me to finish.

I'm planning on taking as many pictures with the boys as possible, so I want to dress cute. Also, George will be vlogging a lot of our week so I want to make sure my outfits look cute, especially if that's the only thing the viewers will be able to see. In order for Clay and I to be in the vlog footage, our faces and heads are going to be completely blurred, which will take long to do but we're not doing a face reveal anytime soon, so that's what we have to do.

I put on a pair of high waisted boyfriend jeans without any rips, the bottoms folded up to expose just above my ankle. My top is a white sweatshirt under a tan button up jacket that I'm leaving buttoned down.

Having brought all my hygiene supplies and makeup into Clays bathroom yesterday, I already have everything in front of me. I brush my hair and teeth before putting light makeup on, because I'm once again going to be blurred. But I won't in the personal pictures, so I wanna look decent there.

I unlock the bathroom door and walk out, Clay too busy on his phone to look up. He does acknowledge I'm out though because he slowly gets out of bed, his nose still stuck in his phone.

When he almost runs into me on his way to the restroom, he finally looks up, his eyes widening slightly as he takes in my appearance.

He looks me up and down, his mouth open slightly as I awkwardly stand in front of him, messing with my fingers as I wait for him to say something.

"So?" I nervously ask after he hasn't said anything. I lazily extend my arms outwards, looking down at myself. "Whatcha think? It's not too much right?" I worriedly ask the last question, hoping I somehow don't look too overdressed with them.

"W-What, no." Clay stutters, a very light blush dusting his cheeks. "You look perfect."

I grin, fighting back the blush that's bound to spread across my cheeks if he says anything else. "Thank you Dreamy." I gently touch his upper arm before walking past him towards the door.

Just as I'm about to head out, I turn and see him standing still, his back to me so I can't see his facial expression.

I laugh to myself before heading downstairs to join the others, everyone now waiting on Clay.

"Wow, did you pull that outfit out of the clothes pile at Goodwill, or just the trash can?" Nick jokes once I sit down on the couch.

I cross one leg over the other and go on my phone, ignoring him, knowing damn well he can't say that while he's just wearing his own merch hoodie and jeans.

"Nick, don't be rude, she looks great." Darryl scolds him, also giving me a compliment.

I look up from my phone, giving a kind smile to Darryl. "Thank you for that, you and George look nice today too."

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Nick grumbles. "Are you all just going to simp for each other?"

I quickly hold my pointer finger up, acting like I'm trying to concentrate on hearing something quiet. "Do you guys hear that? No? My bad, it must've been _nothing_." I turn to Nick at the end, glaring at him.

He quiets after that, grumbling as he takes his phone out.

George and Darryl laugh, the three of us talking while we wait.

A few moments later, Clay walks down the stairs, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his maroon bomber jacket. He's wearing a white t-shirt underneath, light blue jeans with a black belt looped around his waist.

Clay grins when the two of us make eye contact, and I notice myself staring a bit too long, shaking my head as I cover the blush on my face with my hand, looking down at my phone.

"So, I didn't get the memo we were dressing nice today?" Nick sighs.

"I'm taking that as a compliment." Clay says. "Thanks."

"Nick, you and Darryl are both wearing hoodies and jeans, that's fine." George mutters. "Nobody's dressing up."

George is now leaning his arms against the back of the couch, having gotten up once Clay got down here so we can leave.

Clay slips his phone out of his pocket and looks at the time. "We better get going to watch the movie trailers."

George pushes off the back of the couch, Nick and Darryl sitting up. I stay sitting down, making eye contact with Clay, I reach my hands up and make a grabbing motion.

He chuckles, shaking his head and reaching down, grasping my hands and pulling me up off the couch.

I grin and let go of his hands. "Thank you Clayton."

"Pfft, Clayton!" Nick laughs, putting his hand on Clay's shoulder. "I completely forgot I said I'd call you that, but not anymore."

"Oh come on." Clay sighs, shrugging Nick's hand off his shoulder.

We all head to the front door, Clay grabbing the keys off the counter. Darryls the last one out the door, turning around and locking it while the rest of us head to the car.

"I call shotgun!" Nick shouts, running towards the passenger side of the car.

"No, I want the front!" I shout, racing Nick to the car.

We both reach the door at the same time, both of us grabbing the door handle. I slap his hand away but he quickly puts it back, using his other hand to push against my shoulder.

"Idiot! I got here first!" I yell, pushing him back and getting the door open.

"No! I called it first, bitch!" Nick exclaims, slipping past me and sliding into the passenger seat.

I glare at him. "Fuck you!"

He shuts the door, smugly grinning at me through the window before sticking his tongue out.

"Have fun in the middle y/n." George suddenly says, holding the door open for me to get in first, Darryl already on the other side.

I groan, glaring at Nick one more time before sliding into the middle seat, George getting in after me and Clay already in the driver seat.

"He did call shotgun." Clay says, looking at me in the rear view mirror as he begins driving.

"Eyes on the road Clay." I tell him, getting buckled up.

They laugh, knowing by the tone of my voice that I'm not seriously butt hurt about not getting the front seat. I feels nice to have friends I can laugh and joke around with, getting chances to embarrass them and also be embarrassed by them, just like friends would.

On the way there, George introduces the first day to his camera, getting content to put into the vlog. While George does that, Nick connects his phone to the speakers, turning the volume up after the Brit is done.

George records the car ride there for a little bit, wanting as much video as possible, even if he chooses not to use it in the end.

When we get to the theater, Darryl points out the movie we'll be seeing, which is a comedy, not horror like we'll be watching tonight.

We buy the tickets and walk in, Nick worrying about being late to the first trailers as we wait in line for popcorn.

Clay decides that Nick and Darryl can just go save the five of us seats, since the two of them want to see the trailers so badly, while him, George, and I all get the food.

The two quickly shove the candy they want into our hands and tell us which drink to get before they take off down one of the halls.

The wrong hall.

"It's the other way, dummies!" I shout at them.

They stop, check the ticket room, look at the room numbers down the hall they're in, before running back towards us to go the opposite direction.

"I knew that." Nick says as they pass by.

"Sure." I mumble to my group, laughing lightly.

Once we get the popcorn and drinks we make our way down the theater hall. Nick, Clay, and I had chosen a slurpy as our drink, Darryl and George getting a fountain drink.

I carry a couple candies and a big tub of popcorn that I'll share with whoever sits by me, and George holds another smaller one for whoever sits next to him.

When we get in the theater we have to squint and scan the dark room for our friends. I see two pairs of arms waving in the air right in the middle of the seats, one of the best spots.

We climb the stairs and cross in front of a couple people, mumbling apologize as we pass before sitting down in the seats that were saved for us.

I'm sitting in the middle of Clay and Nick, Darryl on the other side of Nick, and George on the outside beside Darryl.

I whisper with Clay for a couple minutes before I get shushed loudly by Nick, the movie trailers starting.

_____

I come out of the dark theater with a blush on my face, having to look down so the others don't see.

About halfway through the movie, Clay had slid his arm around my shoulders, slightly pulling me towards him.

I had started to completely ignore the movie, the only thing on my mind was Clays arm slung over my shoulder the whole rest of the movie.

When he had done it he hadn't even looked away from the screen, he only grinned, laughing lightly as something funny happened in the movie.

I had settled into his touch after a couple minutes, leaning against the armrest towards Clay.

I don't think the others noticed, and if they did I'm sure we'd get teased for being so cliché, so I'll find out later if they saw.

As we rode in the car, Nick jamming in the front seat to the music, Clay tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, smiling as he drives, and the other two bumping against me as they move to the music, I realize that none of them knew about what happened.

That's yet another moment that I got to have with Clay myself. This moment wasn't anything big, like when I had first moved in, those emotions we showed each other then were far greater than these ones now. But this was a comfortable and quiet one, with our friends with us.

I grin and look up at Clay, his blond hair hanging slightly in front of his green eyes, and a large grin plastered on his face as he occasionally turns to the side to watch Nick go all out to the song, having to turn back to watch the road.

The time he turns his attention back to the road from looking at Nick, he must've seen me staring at him because I notice his eyes shift from the road up towards the rear view mirror.

I follow his gaze to the mirror, my e/c eyes meeting with his green ones. He smirks, winking at me before turning back to the road once again.

My eyes widen and I cover my mouth with my hand, looking down and pretending to do something on my phone so no one thinks somethings up.

_He. Winked... At me._

That must've been one of the hottest things I've seen him do, and it only has me falling for him harder. Which maybe that's what he wants?  
Maybe he wants to be in a relationship with me, but he's just too nervous to ask.

I shake my head. _What am I saying?_ I laugh at myself in my head.

He's just being weird and trying to embarrass me, that's just what Clay does. He has his Youtube and Twitch fan base, which would turn chaotic if anyone found out he was dating someone.  
It wouldn't work out.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts as Clay puts the car in park in front of a pizza place right beside the arcade.

I glance at the time as we walk in, almost four. That was a long ass movie, and I'm hungry as hell.

George records us the whole time for the vlog, putting it down at the times we get "too boring for him".

We had ordered a large pepperoni pizza for all five of us to share before sitting at a booth to talk about the movie we just watched.

I sat on one side next to George, Clay across from me with Nick beside him, and Darryl having to bring a chair up to sit on the end of the booth.

After ten minutes, a lady brings us the large pizza, setting it down in the middle of the table, everyone's hands immediately reaching for a piece once she leaves.

Nick and I had started arguing over the last slice, both of us wanting it even after the many slices we've already had.

While we played very intense games of rock paper scissors, George had sneakily taken the last piece for himself, acting as if he didn't do it until I finally notice the slice is gone.

"Who did it?" I ask, looking around the table. "Nick, you're the only one I trust as of now."

"And so we agree." Nick mutters, also looking closely at our three friends.

"Y/n, Nick, you won't figure out who ate it, so let's just let it go." Clay shrugs, covering for George.

"Shut up, piss man." I tell him, leaning across the table and getting in his face. "Did you eat it?"

"I wouldn't lie to her either Clay." Nick adds in for me, also starring the blond down.

Clay pushes both of our faces away. "No, so let's just head to the arcade. It's getting a little dark, and it'll look really cool with the lights on."

Nick and I sigh in defeat, agreeing and sliding out of the booth. George had already paid for the food, so we don't have to wait around to pay the lady.

We all walk next door to the arcade, the cooler air coming as the sun starts to go down a bit, the lights to the arcade already on, they're just not that bright.

We excitedly buy five arcade cards, splitting the amount of credit evenly onto each of our cards. And since we all chipped in, there's a pretty good amount of credit on each.

Before I know it, everyone has run off in separate directions, each guy wanting to play a different game first.

I decide to go look for a game that looks easy enough and find this one where you have to throw a bunch of balls at three rows of clowns. If you knock one down, you get whatever point is written on it. All I have to do is knock down as many as I can in the span of one minute.

I grin, swiping my card and getting ready to grab a ball once they roll down. This is such an easy way to rack up points on my card.

_____

I was wrong. I was so wrong.

I've played this game over ten times and I can't seem to get enough points.

I slam my hands against the game, frustrated as the timer stops and I've barely knocked any down. My aim must be so trash, I can't even hit a dumbass clown from ten feet away.

I glare at the stupid looking clowns before groaning in frustration, leaning against the game.

Suddenly someone's hand gently lands on my back, the person stepping beside me.

"Wow, only one hundred points?" Clay's voice laughs.

I sit up, crossing my arms. "It's harder than it looks."

He raises his eyebrows at me, swiping his card and starting the game. "Come on, let's do it together."

I grin as we both get ready to grab a ball. The game starts and as the wave of balls roll down, Clay has already grabbed two. I watch as he roughly chucks the ball, hitting a clown right in the face, knocking it down.

"Don't just stare at me." Clay grins, still throwing balls at the clowns. "Start knocking these suckers down."

I nod, beginning to throw with him, missing a lot more of my targets than he does.

Once the minute passes I look down at our score, cheering as the numbers show we beat the record, meaning we get over a thousand credits for the card we used.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you showed up." I thank him. "Those fucking clowns were beginning to mock me."

He grins, bumping my shoulder. "I'm glad I could put them in their place then."

After that, we meet up with the others and play a couple more games, George recording as each of us play a game.

A little while later, our cards run out of credit.

"That sucks." I mutter, standing beside Clay as Nick repeatedly tries to swipe his card and get the game to work. "We were having fun."

"We've hit our limit." George laughs. "We can't spend all our money on the arcade, we have to save for our other days."

"Well, since we're done playing," I start, excitedly looking at the bright arcade lights since the sun has gone down completely. "We should take pictures!"

"Actually, that'd be pretty cool." Nick comments.

I drag them behind me, walking deeper into the arcade to find the perfect spot to take pictures.

I stop in a good place, the lighting and colors good, and a perfect game behind us.

"Okay." I say to the boys, pushing them towards the skee ball machine. "Right here."

"This is like the most basic spot we can take arcade pictures." Clay jokes, sitting down on the machine.

"I know." I mutter, waving my hand at him to shut him up while I set up my phone on a game opposite of us. "But it's a good spot."

I wait until everyone gets in their spot before tapping the picture button, a timer coming up and allowing me ten seconds to get where I want.

I stand in the center of them, Nick resting his arm against my left shoulder as I lean against Clays head. George and Darryl chose to stand behind us on the game, making bunny ears behind our heads with their fingers.

We take a few pictures, most as a group, but a couple with just two people. George had very quickly jumped to taking pictures of just me and Clay. Nick and Darryl agreeing with him, all of them using the excuse "you two are dressed the nicest", implying themselves that they couldn't possibly be in it to ruin the "vibe" as Nick had said.

We do a couple more pictures, each of us getting a photo alone with another person, and I also take a couple group ones of just the boys.

We all walk back to the front counter to count up our total credit and win prizes.

I hadn't really cared what we won in the end, just glad to have fun, so I just give them my card and back up. George does the same as Nick, Clay, and Darryl all excitedly decide on what prize to get with all our points.

"I can tell Clays been really happy since you've been with him." George tells me out of nowhere, not taking his eyes off of the boys at the counter.

I turn to him, my eyes widening a bit. "What?"

He turns to me this time, a smile on his face. "I know I haven't met with him in person and seen his face before this trip, but I've talked with him nearly every day for years. I can tell how he feels just by the tone and sound of his voice alone."

He turns away from me again to look at Clay, I follow his gaze to see the blond excitedly pointing at one of the large prizes they had decided on, the worker behind the counter going to get it.

"His whole attitude has been more energetic and happy." George grins. "Don't get me wrong, Clay is and has always been a very happy person, it's not like he didn't have a positive attitude before. But, I can tell he definitely has gotten happier, and I know it's because of you."

I'm shocked, unable to form any words after what George just confessed to me. I can't possibly be the reason he's gotten happier, maybe George just misread Clay. The blond's happier attitude that the Brit saw most likely because his good friends came to visit with him for the first time.

It's a good thing I can't think of anything to say because the three boys are already approaching us, happy smiles on their faces as Nick carries a game, Darryl with a giant stuffed animal elephant, and Clay with a bunch of sticky hands.

As we walk back to the car, they show the prizes they picked. Clay messes around and slaps us with the sticky hands on the way to the car.

Once he gets one tangled in my hair, I draw the line. I get it out before ripping it in half, throwing it away as we pass a trash can.

"Y/n.." Clay whispers, his mouth hanging open in shock and hurt.

"Clay, you have like ten more." I point out, and his mood changes again.

We get in the car and drive back to the house. The ride is quiet and calm as we talk lightly, Nick pointing out how dark it is already, which gets him more excited to watch scary movies once we get back.

When we arrive at the house, we change into something more comfortable before meeting back up on the couch in the living room.

I sit beside Clay, George on the other side of me, a large blanket draped over the three of us.

Nick scrolls through Netflix, looking through the scary movies before he finally picks 'As Above So Below', saying it's a good movie to get started on for the night.

As we watch and get further into the movie, it begins to get scarier, George, Darryl, and I screaming whenever something happens while Nick and Clay laugh.

I hold onto Clays arm tightly, George gripping my arm tightly as the scene gets quiet, something _obviously_ about to happen.

As something jumps out at the main character, I scream and quickly hide my face in Clays shoulder. George pulls the blanket over himself, and Darryl grabs Nick.

Clay chuckles, holding onto me to help comfort me. I do not do well with scary movies.

After a frightening couple hours, going through many scary movies, we all begin to fall asleep at about one a.m. Making sure to not fall asleep late since we're waking up early tomorrow for the amusement park.

We all fall asleep on the couch, lying comfortably against each other. I lay on Clays stomach this time, my arms wrapped around him. George lying on his back on top of my legs with Nick laying against him, and Darryl against Nick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos/comments are so hot


	14. Clay hates heights

_We all fall asleep on the couch, lying comfortably against each other. I lay on Clays stomach this time, my arms wrapped around him. George lying on his back on top of my legs with Nick laying against him, and Darryl against Nick._

______________________

I slowly wake up to the sound of the Tv and voices talking, the delicious smell of bacon also helping me get up.

My eyes slowly flutter open, squinting at the sunlight coming in through the window in the living room. I shift a bit, not really wanting to move from my very comfortable position in Clays arms.

Instead I just open my eyes, quietly watching the Tv as the boys voices become clearer, my drowsiness gone and no longer blocking out their words.

They talk for a couple minutes about breakfast and their channels, for some reason. The entire time I don't show I'm awake, choosing to keep my head down on Clay's chest. I match my breathing with his as his chest slowly rises and falls, his heartbeat calm and audible from where my ear lays against him.

"Today is gonna be so awesome!" Nick suddenly shouts, excitement in his tone.

"Nick, quiet down!" Clay hisses, a light smack being heard as someone most likely slaps Nick. "You'll wake y/n up."

I keep my head in the same place, a grin pulling on my lips.

"She should already be awake anyways." Nick groans, walking towards the couch and throwing his arms over the back beside me and Clay.

"Yeah, but she isn-" he leans over me to look at my face, seeing my eyes open he stops. "Never mind, shes up."

"About time!" Nick exclaims, putting his hands on my back and violently shaking me.

"Stop, Nick." I grumble, blindly smacking his hands away from me.

"Just get up already." he groans, pushing me one last time before backing away.

I sit up, getting off of Clay and turning around to look at the others in the kitchen. Nick and Darryl are already dressed and ready for our day at the amusement park.   
Nick has on black shorts, a yellow and black striped button up shirt, small white stripes in the middle of the black ones, and black crew cut socks.  
Darryl is wearing tan pants with the bottoms folded up once, and a plain dark green t-shirt.

"Why are only you two ready?" I ask, leaning over the back of the couch.

"Well, you were sleeping, Clay didn't want to get you up so he stayed put, and George was making breakfast." Darryl lists off. "Nick and I had nothing else to do."

I frown, turning to Clay beside me. "You could've woken me up, you didn't have to stay like that because I was still asleep."

Clay grins, brushing it off. "It's all good. I know you were tired and I wanted you to get as much rest as possible before our big day today."

"And he also liked having you sleep on his chest." George calls out from the kitchen.

"He was blushing when we had all woken up." Darryl adds from the dining table.

"And he-"

"Okay!" Clay interrupts Nick. "We get it, let's all make fun of Clay! Hahaha!"

"Ah cmon Clay, we're only teasing." George laughs.

"Yeah, I mean, if I had a girl laying on my chest I'd act the same." Nick admits.

Clay chuckles, calming down. "Sorry, it's just weird because nobody could normally see my facial expressions so you guys couldn't tease me about stuff like that like I had with you."

Nick grins. "Paybacks a bitch huh Dream? We won't be holding back."

"And I don't expect any of you to."

"Good."

"Good." Clay repeats.

"We'll this conversation has been great, and I'm glad nothing was really directed towards me, but I'm gonna go get ready." I tell them, standing up and stretching.

I stretch my arms up, feeling my shirt ride up slightly. Looking down, I notice Clays eyes wander to the exposed skin on my stomach.

I put my arms back down, reaching over and flicking Clay on the nose for staring before jogging up the stairs, their voices muffling as I get into my room and shut the door.

I look through my drawers and closet, stepping around Georges bags as I look for what to wear for today. It's apparently supposed to be kinda hot so I need something light.

I pick a black low rise tank top with noodle straps and a pair of light blue high waisted jean shorts. Double checking my door is locked, I get changed, tucking the black tank top into my shorts. And as a little accessory, I put a thin chain, gold butterfly necklace on, the butterfly only an outline and not filled in.

I exit my room and head to Clays, going to the bathroom where all my makeup and hygiene stuff is. I quickly brush my hair and teeth before putting on some makeup, again not a lot.

When I open the bathroom door, Clay is on the other side, leaning against the wall beside the door.

He pushes away from the wall once I step out, heading into the bathroom himself. He sees me and quickly looks down, hiding the slight blush on his cheeks from me by keeping his head down.

"There's breakfast downstairs, I suggest staying away from the sausages, George burnt them somehow." Clay tells me as he slowly closes the door to get ready.

I laugh, heading to the door, completely oblivious to Clays reaction. "Thanks Clay."

I pass George on the way down the stairs, he goes up to change while I go down the get breakfast and join the others.

I get down stairs and sit at the dining table, grabbing a plate and some food.

I poke the sausages with my fork, the meat almost all black. "How was George able to make everything good, except for the sausages?"

"That's because he didn't make anything else." Darryl laughs while he cleans up the kitchen.

"Yeah, after we saw the sausages, Darryl and I did the cooking." Nick grabs the plate of burnt sausages and throws them away, giving the plate to Darryl to clean.

"I didn't know you two could cook." I say, eating a piece of bacon.

"It's a good thing we can because apparently the rest of you can't." Nick commented.

"Hey, I make good french toast." I huff.

Nick raises his brows. "That's it huh."

I roll my eyes, flipping him off as I finish my food.

"So, are we ready?" I hear Clay ask as he walks down the stairs, George not far behind him.

Clay is wearing light tan shorts and a simple black t-shirt.  
George has on a dark red t-shirt and black pants, both him and Darryl choosing not to wear shorts like rest of us.

"Pretty much, yeah." Darryl answers the blond, turning the sink off and drying his hands.

Clay grabs the keys while everyone slips on their shoes. I make sure to grab a small backpack to carry our things in before following Clay out the door.

"I get shotgun this time!" I shout back at Nick, going to the passenger side and getting in the car.

Nick huffs, opening the back door. "I get the aux at least."

"That's only fair." I laugh, letting him connect his phone to the car bluetooth once everyone is in.

"Nothing too inappropriate." Darryl says, looking at Nicks phone screen to make sure he doesn't pick a bad song.

The entire drive there we blasted the music, everyone singing along, even on the filthy parts, Darryl making sure to censor himself.

We get there at almost twelve on the dot, and I'm even able to see the large amusement park five minutes before we reach it. The extremely tall rides visible from far away, only adding to mine and the others excitement, everyone except Clay.

"This is gonna be so fun!" Nick exclaims once the car is parked.

We all get out and head to the front entrance, the sounds of the rollercoasters and peoples excited screams getting louder the closer we get.

Since we came on a Monday, the line to get our tickets and get into the park isn't long at all, most normal people having work today.

After getting into the park, I take in the large size of all the rides around me.   
George takes out his camera to start today's part of the vlog. He introduces what we're doing today before turning the camera around to show the park then our group. I excitedly wave to the camera, even if I'll be blurred on the vlog we post, I won't on the video we keep.

Darryl takes out the map. "Where to first?"

All of us gathering around him to look at which ride we should go on, Nick pointing to the crazy ones already.

I see Clay shaking his head, disagreeing with every ride Nick suggest we go to first. I can tell Clays anxious, even getting him here was most likely luck, the choice for him easier since his best friends are visiting.

I decide to help him out, wanting him to ease into the big rides, not jump right into them. "Nick, we should maybe start off with the smaller rides then we'll work our way up to the big rides."

Nick groans, pointing to a spot on the map. "Fine, let's do this one then."

We agree, not having to walk far since it's pretty close to the entrance.

We get to the ride entrance, George getting his camera out to film, pointing it up at the name of the ride: Scream.

Nick cheers, rushing past us and to the end of the line, George and Darryl running after him.   
I laugh, grabbing Clays hand and pulling him behind me, following the others.

We eventually catch up with the line, the rollercoaster cart roaring on the tracks as it passes by. Clay watches it go into a twist then a loop, his eyes widening.

"You guys said _this_ is a smaller ride?" he nervously questions.

"Clay, the ride information literally says this is a family ride." George laughs.

"It won't be that bad." Darryl adds, laughing with George and Nick.

I chuckle lightly while we move up in the line, Clay not taking his eyes off the ride.

We get to the front, splitting off into two groups so one of us doesn't have to be alone on the ride. We had teased Clay at first that we'd have him be the one by himself before quickly assuring him we'll get in groups.

As we get to the very front of the line, the rollercoaster seats pulling up in front of us, we split up. Nick and George went to the back to get the faster ride, Clay, Darryl, and I slipping into the very front seats.

Clay sits in the middle of me and Darryl, putting me on the outside since neither of them wanted to be in my spot on the edge. The blond pulls down his over the shoulder restraints, giving them a couple hard tugs down, causing them to click a few to many times, more than he should have them at.

"Clay, calm down, it'll be uncomfortable if it's too tight." I calmly tell him.

"Yeah well, at least I'll be safe." he replies, his hands tightly gripping the handle bars on the sides of the restraints.

I reluctantly sit in my seat as the worker orders me to do so, pulling the restraint down to secure me in place.

The floor drops below us before we begin to move, slowly climbing up the hill to get to the drop.  
I excitedly laugh, swinging my feet through the air.

I look around the shoulder bars, seeing Clay nervously looking around and at the drop coming in a few seconds. He looks anywhere but down, which is a good thing because we're pretty high up.

I reach out and grab his hand from the handle, holding it tightly in my hand to comfort him a bit.

He doesn't look at me, only gripping my hand even tighter as we get to the top, the front part of the seats slowly going over the top.

As the back catches up with us, we suddenly drop, the coaster quickly going through twists and loops. Almost everyone screaming excitedly, some screaming from fear; Clay.

The ride finally comes to an end and we get off, grabbing the stuff we had set down before the ride.

George takes out the camera to record our reactions to the ride.

"That was so fun!" Nick exclaims. "But I can't wait until we get to the _big_ rides. Those are gonna be sick!"

I agree, tugging Clay along behind me as we walk to the next coaster.

George turns the camera around to face himself for a moment. "Guys, if only you could see Dreams face right now." he giggles, turning the camera to point back at Clay.

I can tell George is zooming in and out on the blonds already done face, the Brit making weird comments while doing so.

Clay smacks the camera away, being slightly careful not to knock it down to the ground.

"Come on, don't be such a grouchy muffin." Darryl teased, poking Clays arm multiple times.

"Clay, even _Tommy_ would go on these." Nick says from ahead of us. "Don't let that child show you up."

"He's not even here, how can he show me up?" Clay frowns.

Nicks face quickly drops to a bored expression. "You're lame."

Nick throws his arm over Clays shoulder. "Come on! Have some fun at the amusement park with all your best buds, plus her." he points at me, not wanting to say my name in front of the camera.

"Thanks Nick." I sigh, getting a nod from him in response.

Clay takes a deep breath, calming himself down. "Okay." he steadies his hands in front of him. "We're gonna have fun."

"Yeah."

"We're gonna ride these rollercosters."

"Yeah!" Nick encourages, getting more and more hyped up.

"And it's gonna be a great and memorable day!"

"Yeah!"

I exchange glances with George and Darryl while Nick and Clay hype themselves up.

"Clays gonna chicken out of some, how much you wanna bet?" George mumbles.

I raise a brow, walking beside him. "I wouldn't make bets on that."

"We can make a bet for the front seat on the way back home." Darryl suggests, both of us nodding in agreement. "Alright, I say he chickens out on five rides by the end of the day."

"Psh, that's too low." George mutters. "I say fifteen."

They turn to me to hear my bet. I think about this wisely. I'm going to be hella tired at the end of the day, and I'll want to sleep. So the only way I get a good sleep in the car, is if I have the front seat.   
Georges number seemed too high, even for Clay, and Darryls number seemed too low.

"How about, nine." I decide. "Nine rides by the end of the day. Whoever has the number closest to the actual amount he skipped, wins."

We all shake hands, sealing our bet, before catching up with Nick and Clay, ready for more rides.

_____

After a couple hours of running around and riding rollercoasters, we finally take a break, everyone getting hungry anyways.

Clay has already chickened out of four rides, taking one look at the massive drops and quickly deciding against going on some.

Of course I want to win the front seat, but that's not what today is about. I wanna spend time with everyone and I want Clay to experience the thrills of a rollercoaster. I want him to be able to enjoy it, so I've been trying to get him to go on as many as possible, even at the possible cost of losing the front seat bet.

"What even is there to eat?" Nick asks, bringing my attention back to our conversation of finding somewhere to eat.

"There's a Johnny Rockets." George points out on the map, the restaurant not far from us.

"Burgers and fries it is then." Darryl adds as we make our way to the restaurant.

It's a cute 50s themed diner setting right in the middle of the park, the rollercoasters running on their tracks audible, adding to the whole vibe of the place.

I slide into the booth beside Nick, George and Darryl on the other side and Clay deciding to pull a chair up to the end of the table this time.

"Guys look!" I say, gaining their attention while pointing at my menu. "It's says that they give you a little plate with a ketchup smiley face!"

"Why would anyone want that?" George asks.

"Because it's cute." I shoot back.

The waitress that comes is younger, maybe somewhere in her early twenties like the four of us. The way she carries herself makes it look like she hates her job here, the all white uniform with a black bow tie adding to her misery.

But I'm able to see when her bored and frustrated frown is immediately wiped away once she sees our table, a grin replacing it.

She takes our food and drink orders, writing everything down on a pad of paper, her eyes darting to the blond sitting beside her whenever she's waiting for the rest of our order.

I glare at her as she leaves, not liking any of the moves she was trying a few seconds ago.

I zone out a bit as the boys talk about the rides, listing all the ones they really want Clay to go on after this. Why am I frustrated? That girl could've just been trying to be friendly, maybe. I get I like him, but why would I need to even worry.

After fifteen minutes the waitress comes out with all of our food and drinks. She lays them out, putting Clays down last followed by a ripped napkin. She quickly leaves before Clay could notice and question her about the napkin.

"Clay what'd she give you?" Nick asks, pointing at the napkin beside his plate.

"Oh." Clay mumbles, just now realizing the white material.

He grabs it, looking at it confused. "It's a phone number."

I frown, glaring at the milk white napkin in his hands, the black writing standing out against the white once he sets it down.

I feel the emotions from before come back, this time my mind having a reason to feel it. That simple stupid note could ruin any chance I had with Clay. I feel jealous and angry at how easily she just did that, but it seems wrong to feel like this. I'm not even with him so I have no right to think that way.

"Dude, she gave you her number!" Nick laughs.

George pats his friend on the arm. "How's it feel to be a man now, getting girls numbers."

"I've gotten girls numbers before." Clay laughs, brushing George off. "I got y/n's."

They look at me and I smile, hiding my previous jealousy. Nick comments how that doesn't count because it was off Discord, Clay arguing back that it "so does count".

Thankfully Darryl changes the subject back to plans for the rest of the day, asking everyone which ride we should head to next.

We talk for the rest of the time, laughing at the little ketchup smiley face on the plate in the middle of our table. Nick eventually ruins it by dipping a fry into it, smearing it around.

As we're leaving, the same waitress walks up to us, asking to talk to Clay real fast.

Clay hesitantly follows her back to a spot we won't hear them, his eyes watching us to make sure he stays where he can see us.

All four of us eye them, making sure she doesn't try anything with our friend.  
We watch as Clay waves his hands in front of him, a sheepish grin on his face while he talks.

He has a polite smile on his face the entire time, the girls back turned to us to we can't see her expression.

Soon, he shakes his head and leaves her, walking towards us awkwardly.

"That was awkward." Clay groans once he gets to us.

"What'd she say?" Darryl curiously asks.

"She told me I was hot, and that she wanted to go out sometime."

Nick laughs. "There's no way she said that. That's like, really brave to just ask that."

"Yeah, and she kept asking so I told her there's someone else." Clay says, shrugging and looking down. He begins to walk ahead of us.

I perk up at the mention of him liking someone else, everyone following after him. He hasn't been talking with anyone else, could it really be me? Unless he was already texting someone before we met, which is very likely.

"Ooo." George grins, leaning into him. "Wanna share who this someone else is?"

Clay rolls his eyes, pushing George away from him. "Maybe I lied about that. Are you gonna believe everything I say?"

"I'll believe anything daddy Dream says." Nick gushed, dramatically wrapping his arms around Clay.

Clay grins, jokingly wrapping his arms around Nick. "Thank you Nick." he sticks his bottom lip out, both of them fake crying.

"This is very precious and all, but let's get back to the rides." I interrupt.

They let go of each other, everyone laughing before we get back to the big rides, wanting to go on all of them before the end of the day.

_____

After going on almost every ride, we take another break. George had gotten sick so we decided to give him time to breathe so he doesn't end up puking on any of us.

I'm sitting at a round table, talking with the others when Clay finally gets back and sits beside me. He sets down a large funnel cake in the middle of the table, powdered sugar coating almost the entire thing.

"Oh god, I can't even think of eating anything right now." George mutters, grabbing his stomach and laying his head on the table.

"I can!" Darryl cheers, excitedly grabbing a fork and pulling a piece off.

Nick skips the fork, using his fingers to tear a piece off for himself, Clay and I doing the same.

When we're halfway done, Clay and Darryl get too full, Nick and I finishing it off ourselves.

I brush my hands off, tiredly standing up and grabbing our trash. "How're you feeling George? Up for the last ride?"

After the break he's looking much better, everyone just getting tired.

"Let's do it." he agrees, everyone else standing up.

"What's the last one?" Clay asks me, everyone following me as I lead the way.

I grin, pointing up ahead. "That one."

He looks the way I'm pointing, his eyes widening. He shakes his head. "Nope, no. No way."

We get to the entrance of Drop of Doom, the drop tower over four hundred feet high.

"I'm not going on that." Clay states, crossing his arms and standing in place.

"Clay come on, it'll be so fun." Nick whines.

I think back to the bet George, Darryl, and I made. He's skipped out on eight rides already, so I win the front seat no matter what, but I really want him to go on this one.

"It's an over _four hundred foot drop_. Fuck no." Clay refuses.

"Please." George begs, dragging out the 'e'.

He shakes his head, waving us off. "Have fun."

I walk up to him and grasp his arm, holding it tightly. "Please, Clay." I plead, sticking my bottom lip out and looking up at him. "This'll be the last ride."

He looks up at the towering ride then back down to me, contemplating on if he should go on or not.

He looks at the others, seeing their pleading faces before sighing in defeat. "Alright. Forty bucks though."

"Deal." I grin, pulling him into the line.

We soon get on, Clay sitting between me and George. He puts the shoulder restraints on tightly again, making sure it clicks way more than it has to.

Once everyone is clicked in, we begin to rise up, gradually climbing up to the top.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Clay mutters, as we get very close to the top, his eyes shut tight.

I feel my own heart begin to race as I break the number one rule, looking down at the large drop below us. The sun setting only makes this experience better, the last ride of the day, with the prettiest view.

I swing my legs, laughing anxiously, waiting for the drop. I look towards Clay, his eyes still tightly shut as he quickly feels around for my hand.

I grasp his hand and he squeezes mine hard.  
He flinches as we get to the very top, the ride clicking, dropping any second.

Suddenly, the ride hisses before dropping us. Clays grip on my hand gets even tighter, almost crushing the bones in my hand.

Nick and I excitedly scream as we fall, my stomach sinking. I can hear the other two also screaming on the other side of Clay. The blond stays completely quiet, not even able to scream.

The ride takes us all the way down, before quickly shooting us back up, lower this time. This continues a couple time before it locks at the bottom, the restraints coming up.

Clay very shakily scrambles out of his seat, quickly getting away from the ride.

I laugh, feeling exhilarated after that, which I know will die out in a few. Looking down at my own hands, I see them shaking from excitement.

"I'm _never_ doing that again!" Clay shouts. "Now gimme my forty bucks."

"When we get home you'll get your money."

Clay sighs, taking a couple deep breaths as we begin to walk back to the exit, the park getting dark.

On the way back to the car from the amusement park entrance, Clay noticed me beginning to drag my feet, walking slower.

He slows down to walk beside me. "Tired?"

"Mhm." I nod, yawning.

He stops me, crouching down with his back to me.

I laugh. "Are you offering a piggyback ride?"

"Of course M'lady." he grins, waiting for me. "Now come one, I'm not tired."

I giggle, climbing onto his back. I put my arms around his neck to hold on and he hooks his arms under my legs to hold me up.

He runs to catch up with the others, all of them too tired to even notice we had stopped.

I sigh contently, laying my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes. "I had fun today." I mutter, only Clay able to hear.

He chuckles. "Me too."

Everyone begins to fall asleep on the car ride back, except for Clay since he's driving, insisting he's not tired yet.

I lay my head down, using the seatbelt to hold my head up. It's calming, the car is quiet except for the radio and Clays soft mumbling and humming to the music, making it easy to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry but him being afraid of heights is one of the cutest things ever


	15. Y/n doesn't like waterparks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Lilac are characters based off of two friends of mine,, I added them in here for fun and to like thank them for being my new friends,, they're not part of the whole plot so they won't be changing events up, they were added FOR FUN

_I lay my head down, using the seatbelt to hold my head up. It's calming, the car is quiet except for the radio and Clays soft mumbling and humming to the music, making it easy to fall asleep._

_______________________

  
I had woken up early today for some reason, and I know I'm up before Nick, George, and Darryl because I can't hear any talking downstairs.

I actually have no idea how I had gotten into bed last night, all I can remember is completely knocking out in the car. But I have a feeling the blond lightly snoring beside me had something to do with it.

I turn to look at him, keeping my hand pulled close to my chest; only looking, not touching.

Always being this close to him doesn't help calm my feelings for him, it only adds to it.  
How could I not like him? He's funny, kind, energetic, and to add to that, he's handsome.

I smile at his sleeping face, his blond hair falling in front of his eyes.

My eyes go down to his slightly parted lips, and I suddenly have to force myself to turn around and look away. I rub my eyes with my hands before reaching out and grabbing my phone from the bedside table.

I don't want to be the first one up and getting ready, so I decide to pass the time on Tik Tok, my for you page a mess of Minecraft and weird cursed videos.

After a couple minutes of mindlessly scrolling through video after video, I hear Clay shift behind me.

A few seconds later, I hear his voice right beside my ear. "Whatcha watching?"

Startled, I swing my hand back, smacking him in the face.

"Ow," he groans, rubbing his nose as I quickly turn around. "I just wanted to see what you were doing."

"I'm sorry Clay." I apologize, reaching out and holding his face with both of my hands.

"It's fine. I shouldn't have startled you like that, sorry." he smiles, making my heart quicken for a moment.

How is he so sweet? I slapped him in the face and he says it's fine and he even apologized to me?

"Clay, don't apologize." I tell him, making him look me in the eyes. "I hit you, I'm the one to say sorry. End of story, no more talking."

He smiles, nodding his head in agreement.

He grabs my hands with his, gently pulling them off his face. "Time to get up."

He puts my hands down and crawls past me, getting off the bed. I turn around and look up at him, sitting with my legs crossed. He reaches his hands out for me to grab, quickly pulling me off the bed once I link our hands.

"Clay!" I laugh, stumbling forward.

He laughs, moving out of the way but keeping hold of my hands to catch me after I pass him.

"I wouldn't drop you." he chuckles as I stand up straight. "You might just kill me if I did."

I cross my arms, pouting playfully, a grin threatening to tug at my lips. "Thats the only reason you didn't drop me?"

He tilts his head, tapping his chin with his finger as he thinks. "Hmm, yeah." he teases, turning around and walking to the door.

I huff, following after him into the hall. "Rude."

He shrugs, glancing at me behind him as he gets to Georges door, slowing down. He turns to me and puts his finger to his lips, telling me to keep quiet as he quietly knocks, after no response he slowly opens Georges door.

We peek out head around the corner to see George sprawled out across the bed on his back, the covers pushed all the way down to the bottom of the bed. His mouth is wide open and he's snoring quiet loudly, I'm surprised we hadn't heard it from Clays room.

"Do we wake him up?" I whisper as Clay takes the lead in entering the room.

"Yeah," he whispers back. "I wish they were all together, that way we could've woken them all up by shouting like they did with us."

"That would've been good payback." I agree.

I think about it for a moment before a different idea pops into my head. "Watch this."

I creep up beside the bed, snatching the empty cup George had brought up with water last night. I bring it to the bathroom, fill it up with a little water, then get walk back into the room.  
At first, Clay watches in confused, not seeing where I'm going with this, but as soon as I come back with the cup of water, he figures it out.

"I wanna do it, I wanna do it. Please let me do it." he begs, excitedly bouncing on his toes and reaching out for the cup.

I pull it away from him. "It was my idea."

"Please." he begs some more, dragging out the 'e'. "You can do it to Nick."

I think for a moment before agreeing, wanting revenge on Nick the most for all his little smartass comments.

Clay snatches the cup from me before standing beside the bed and leaning over George, hovering the cup over his face.

"Don't pour the whole thing." I warn.

He glances back at me, "Shh, I know." he turns back around and slowly tips the cup, letting a small stream of water splash down onto Georges face.

The British boy immediately swings his hand through the air, scrunching his face that's covered in water.

Clay and I begin laughing as George grumpily sits up, using his shirt to wipe his face off. "What the hell was that for?"

I jump up onto the bed. "It's time to wake up George!"

He groans, tiredly sitting there for a moment before swinging his legs off the edge of the bed. He pushes Clay out of his way before walking into the bathroom, not saying another word to us.

"Someone's not a morning person." Clay chuckles, heading to the door. "Come on, let's go wake Nick and Darryl up."

We rush down the stairs, stopping as we see Darryl already awake, lying on the couch on his phone. He looks up at us, giving a small wave before looking back at his phone.

I frown, one less person to get our revenge on. Which is fine, I don't remember him doing much, he was too nice.

But now out main target is Nick, sleeping peacefully in the other room, unsuspecting of what's coming. It's not even much of a prank, Clay and I just find it funny to do.

I creep up to the guest room Nick is staying in while Clay's in the kitchen filling the cup up with a bit of water.

I approach the bed, Nick sleeping on his side with the covers pulled to his shoulders, like it's cold or something.

Clay rushes in and hands me the cup. I cover my mouth with my hand to stop myself from laughing as I tip the cup over, letting maybe a little too much water pour onto Nicks face.

He gasps and immediately sits up, using the blanket to wipe his face dry. He looks up from patting his face off, scowling at Clay and I as we burst out laughing, collapsing against the bed.

"Nick you've had that coming for a couple days now." I laugh.

While I'm distracted by his reaction, he reaches out and grabs the cup out of my hand, splashing the remaining amount of water on me.

I gasp, freezing as I look down at myself and my now wet clothes. "Nick!"

"You've had that one coming for a couple days now." he shrugs, mimicking what I had said to him a few seconds ago.

"I had to get my revenge on you somehow!" I shout, reaching out to start smacking him on the head.

We fight for a moment, both of us slapping and pushing each other, until Clay wraps his arms around my waist from behind and pulls me away from the war Nick and I were just having.

"This battle isn't over Nick!" I shout, pointing a finger at him as Clay carries me out of the room.

He puts me down on the living room couch, heading back to Nicks room to tell him to get ready before sending me upstairs to get ready too.

I knock on my bedroom door, making sure George isn't changing or something before I walk in. I grab the clothes I need before going into the bathroom in Clays room.

I get changed into my two piece swimsuit, putting a t-shirt and shorts on over it to cover up for now.

After about twenty minutes, everyone is ready and already heading out the door. Clay had said he's tired of driving everywhere so he made Nick drive, Darryl calling shotgun before he could. And I'm once again forced into the middle seat since I'm the smallest.

We get there after about two hours, Nick getting lost and taking multiple wrong turns, adding to our drive. But we do finally get to the waterpark, an hour after it opens.

"Nick, all you had to do was follow Google Maps." Darryl groans, getting out of the car and stretching.

I get out on Clays side, also stretching my sore limbs from the cramped car ride. "Yeah, how hard is that?"

Nick flares at Darryl across the top of the car then at me beside him. "It's pretty hard when the gps says the directions at the last second."

"It warned you what the next direction was right after the last one." George adds, shutting his door.

Nick huffs, turning around and walking away from us, towards the park. "We're here now so it doesn't matter."

"Nicks right, let's get to those water slides!" Clay cheers, running ahead and latching onto Nick, excitedly shaking him.

At least Clay is excited about the waterpark today, I know the amusement park yesterday wasn't exactly what he had wanted to do, so this makes up for that.

The same can't exactly be said for me. Waterpark and water slides have always freaked me out, I'm literally sitting or laying on nothing while I slide down a tube of water. What if somethings broken and I slide against it, tearing my skin since nothing is protecting me from the slide.  
I'm just sliding around inside a tube of water, and most of the time it's dark.

I'd much rather go on a roller coaster, at least then I'm strapped down. And at water parks, the water is filthy. I just know every kid here has pissed in that water.

We get through the front after buying tickets, needing to buy a locker for our clothes and stuff.

We get a large one, cramming our things in there before taking off our coverups.

I quickly slip off my shorts and t-shirt, wanting to get the most awkward part over with.  
Underneath, I'm wearing a simple black two piece, a triangle top and bikini bottoms that compliment my body perfectly.

I stuff my clothes in the locker, turning around and waiting for the boys to hurry up, they only need to take off their shirts anyways.

I don't notice all the little glances Clay takes at me, a blush spread across his face after seeing me.

After shoving everything into the locker, Clay locks it and we head off. George kept his phone with him to record parts of the day, putting it in a small waterproof bag that hangs around his neck.

"Dude, you look so stupid with that thing around your neck." Nick laughs, pointing at George.

"Says the one with pink shorts that are covered in yellow rubber ducks." I defend George, commenting on Nick swim trunks.

"I see nothing wrong with them." he frowns, looking down at them.

I laugh lightly, choosing to keep more of my comments to myself.

The first slide we get in line for is a double, two people share one tube that has two places to sit.

I hadn't told any of the boys about my unease, instead just quietly following along behind them.

He excitedly grabs a double tube and pulls me along, the others right behind us, George and Darryl riding together and Nick going by himself.

I stand in the line, it may be short because it's a weekday, but there's still a good amount of people at the park.

We all talking when George nudges Nick and gets the rest of our attention. When we look at him he only nods his head towards the people in front of us, keeping his voice low. "Those girls up ahead keep looking at us."

Me and Nick immediately turn around to look, getting smacked in the back of the heads by Clay and George.

"You don't immediately look when someone talks about the people behind you!" George hisses as we turn back around to him.

"Well how are we supposed to see them then?" I ask. "You can't tell us about people looking over here then not let us look."

George groans, rubbing his eyes. "Just try to make it look casual, dummies."

We nod, waiting a few seconds until we take a glance at the people he was talking about.

It's two girls, both of them talking low to each other. The shorter of the two has a stocky build, a black one piece swimsuit wrapped around her body except for the space above her navel to the middle of her ribs.  
She has brunette hair that reaches just below her shoulder blades, and even with the distance between my group and her, I can see she has multiple piercings. And with the lack of a smile on her face, she seems like she'll be down to punch anyone at anytime.

The other girl is the taller of the two, though not by many inches, she may even be a bit taller than me. She has longer blonde hair, a smile on her face as she leans into her friend to whisper something in her ear. A very light purple two piece that fits her slim body, a bandeau top with straps and high waisted bottoms.

The two give of different vibes from each other, the shorter one seems less approachable, like she's judging you at all times. But the other gives off a much brighter vibe, one that just naturally attracts people.

Nick and I quickly turn around as they look back at us, making eye contact for a second.

"Why do you think they're looking over here?" Clay asks.

They all turn to me, seemingly expecting me to answer that questions.

I scrunch my face in confusion. "How the hell would I know?"

"You're a girl, you know these girl things." Darryl says.

I huff, throwing my hands up. "That doesn't mean I know exactly what they're thinking about. You guys are dumb."

"Well girls normally do this right? What do you guys talk about during your whisper sessions?"

I roll my eyes, thinking for a moment. "Uh, maybe they like you guys. It is a group of four boys at a waterpark."

They all grin, looking between one another.

They continue sneaking glances back at our group until it's their time to go down the slide. And after two more people, it's mine and Clays turn.

We stand at the top of the slide, the water rushing down from the small starting pool, and into the pitch black tunnel.

I anxiously stare at the tunnel with wide eyes, Clay already putting the tube in the water.

"Go," Nick says, pushing me forwards a bit from behind. "It's your turn."

I glance back before walking up to the slide entrance, Clay holding the tube and waiting for me to get on first.

Clay reaches his hand out to help me sit down, making sure the tube doesn't slide out from under me, the rushing water wanting to push it down the tunnel.

"Oh my god, you're scared!" Nick laughs, seeing my nervous expression as I sit down.

"Shut up Nick, you stupid bitch!" I shout, George snickering as he records.

The lifeguard at the top gives us the okay to go down.

Clay grins, sitting down. "It's okay, it's just a slide." he tells me, as the water slowly starts to drag us towards the drop into the dark.

"You have no room to talk, Clay." I say just before we get to the drop in the slide.

It felt like I had my eyes closed the entire way down, the tunnel completely pitch black.  
Clay was laughing the entire time while I was trying my best to hold in my screams.

We get to the bottom, suddenly surrounded by bright lights as we splash down into the pool at the bottom.

"That was fun!" Clay grins, looking to me after we get out of the water, standing to the side and waiting for the others.

I cross my arms across my chest. "Why was it so damn dark the entire time. I felt like I was blind."

"That's the fun part with this slide." Clay tells me, keeping his eyes on the end of the tunnel. "You're supposed to see nothing the whole time."

"Next one we go on better not be dark."

Clay laughs, agreeing as the others finally come out of the end of the tunnel, Nick before George and Darryl.

We go on a couple more rides, Nick teasing me a lot, especially after the two of us go down a slide together.

Once it gets later in the day, we take a break to get some lunch, finding a table to sit down at.

Halfway through eating, the girls from earlier approach us.

The shorter one starts, "Hey, you guys are the ones we saw on that ride earlier, huh."

"Oh uh, did you guys see us?" George shrugs, scratching his head. "We hadn't seen you around."

The brunette laughs, the blonde doing the same. "Bullshit, we saw you guys looking at us too."

"Only because you wouldn't stop staring and whispering." Nick shoots back. "What we're you two talking about, hm? Us, huh."

"Wow, that was our private conversation." the blonde giggles.

Nick rolls his eyes, leaning his head against his hand and shoving some fries into his mouth.

"We were only wondering when we'd see your group again. You guys seemed fun." the shorter girl confesses.

"Well how about we introduce ourselves then?" Darryl smiles.  
"I'm Darryl," he points to himself before pointing to the rest of use, listing off our names as he goes. "That's Clay, Y/n, Nick, and George."

As he introduces each of us we wave to the two girls. They wave back before introducing themselves.

"You guys can all just call me Cal." the brunette grins, leaning her weight onto one leg and crossing her arms as she stands there.

"And I'm Lilac." the blonde waves, smiling.

"Now are you gonna let us sit, or are we just gonna stand here?" Cal asks jokingly.

"Oh, you guys can sit." I tell them, George and Darryl scooting apart to make space for them to pull up a chair.

The two of them sit and talk with us the rest of the time, each of us sharing things about ourselves.

They told us that Cal is twenty two, Lilac two years younger than her friend. We had told them we're streamers and youtubers, learning that they're also streamers. They stream together almost all the time, their followers always expecting to see them on together.  
__________

"Wait, so you two are telling us, that you've _never_ heard of any of our channels?" Nick asks, shocked as we walk through the park.

"Sapnap, Georgenotfound, Badboyhalo?" George questions. "Not even Dream or HolyBonez?"

Cal thinks about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Nope, never heard of you five. Have you?" she asks, turning to Lilac.

The blonde shakes her head. "No."

Clay scratches his neck. "I guess that's probably better for us." he says, looking at me.

"Why is that good, wouldn't you want to be well known?" Lilac asks.

I hesitate before answering. "Well, Clay and I would like our channels to be we'll know, but we don't want to be recognized outside of that."

"We haven't shown our faces, and Y/n hasn't even revealed her name." Clay adds. "We don't want people to end up finding us and spreading information about us around."

Cal waves her hand. "Oh you guys won't have to worry about us. That would be a real asshole move to share private stuff like that."

Clay and I glance at each other before deciding to trust their word, they haven't given us a reason to not believe them.

As we walk, Nick starts leading us towards the giant pool. And once we get there, everyone jumps in, everyone except for me.

"Y/n, get it!" Clay calls out, swimming back to the edge where I'm standing.

I shake my head, stepping back and taking a seat on one of the layout chairs around the pool. "I'm good, I'll just sit here and relax."

The group groans, but Clay wasn't having any of it.  
Without me noticing since I'm laying back with my eyes closed, he gets out of the pool and walks up to me.

He wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me up from the chair.

"Clay, what the hell!" I shout, trying to get him to let me go.

He chuckles, walking towards the pool, the others cheering him on and laughing as I push against his chest.

My face heats up at how close we are with almost nothing separating us, my bare stomach against him. "C-Clay! Put me down."

He raises his brows at me. "I mean, if you say so."  
He grins, letting me go and dropping me into the pool, being carful to make sure I fall far enough out so I don't hit the edge.

I drop under the water, shooting right back up after a second. I feel Clay jump into the water right beside me.

"Damn it." I groan, shoving against the blonds chest. "You just had to do that."

He laughs, ignoring me. "How about we play a game?"

"Let's do chicken fights!" George exclaims.

I grin as an idea pops up in my head. "Okay, I'll pick teams. Nick, you're with Lilac, and George, you're with Cal."

Nick glances at the blonde, nervously chuckling. "Okay, but now I get to pick who you're with. And I say Clay."

I frown. "What about Darryl?"

"He'll be out this round, then switch in next."

I look to Darryl and he nods, agreeing with the plan.

I glance and Clay beside me, "Alright, let's kick their asses Clay."

"Hell yeah." he grins.

Nick, George, and Clay hesitantly go underwater and the three of us girls get in their shoulders.

Once they stand back up, I notice Nick and George with a blush across their faces as they hold onto Cal and Lilac. What I don't notice is the blush on Clays face, he nervously hold onto my knees.

George and Cal make the first move, and after a couple minutes of shoving, only Clay and I are left standing.

We switch teams each round, laughing as Clay and Nick team up against George and Darryl and Lilac and Cal.

After a couple more rounds, we all get out of the pool and go on some more slides, Clay and I choosing to sit out the large one that has you climb almost twenty flights of stairs to get to the top.

We sit at the bottom, talking and waiting for the others to get down. After a couple minutes Darryl and Nick splash down from two different tubes at the same time, arguing who actually won once they get out of the water.

It soon gets darker, the sun going down and the weather getting a bit cooler. We decide to call it a day, already getting tired.

We exchange information with Cal and Lilac, promising to hopefully stream together sometime soon.

As Clay, Darryl, and I head back to the car I notice Nick and George lagging behind. When I turn around I see they're still talking with the two girls, Nick getting Lilac to laugh and George scratching the back of his neck while talking with Cal.

I laugh, turning back around to get in the car.

I decide to drive tonight, Clay sitting in the passenger seat and already passing out, Darryl doing the same in the back.

I start the car and wait patiently, turning the music down low so Clay and Darryl can sleep.

Once Nick and George get in the car I look at them in the rear view mirror, smirking at the barely visible blush on their cheeks.

"What?" Nick huffs, closing his eyes and leaning against the door. "Don't you have driving to do."

I shake my head, still grinning as I start to drive. And not even ten minutes into the drive, everyone's asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos/comments are very cool


	16. Party to remember

_I shake my head, still grinning as I start to drive. And not even ten minutes into the drive, everyone's asleep._

______________________

"Do you really have to leave now?" I ask, everyone watching Darryl as he starts packing his bags into the back of his car.

He sighs, closing the back door and turning back around to face the four of us. "Yeah, I need to get back home to my little Rat, and I have streaming plans with Zak."

"Man," Nick sighs sadly. "We don't even get to finish off the week with you."

Darryl gives a small grin, trying to lighten the mood. "Hey, at least we still had a lot of fun!"

George and Clay nod while Nick and I pout, not wanting him to leave early.

Clay puts his hand on my shoulder. "And don't worry, we'll all get together and hang out again."

"Yeah." I mumble, nodding.

Darryl claps. "Okay, I got a few hour drive ahead of me, I better get going."

I reach out and pull him into a hug. "I'm glad I got to meet you, you're such a great guy."

"I'm glad I got to meet you too Y/n." he pulls away and looks at me. "Like Clay said, we'll all hang out again."

I nod, stepping back to let the other guys say goodbye. They do a group hug before letting Darryl get into his car.

I wave one last time as he pulls away, smiling as he waves back then drives off.

The four of us stand there for a silent moment before making our way back into the house.

I let myself drop onto the couch with a loud sigh, Nick plopping down beside me and doing the same. George takes a seat in a separate chair, taking out his phone and Clay leans against the back of the couch, his head resting against his hand.

"Darryl leaving means our week together is getting closer to the end." I mutter, looking at George and Nick.

"Counting today we still have three and a half days." Nick says, grinning and looking on the bright side. "That's still a lot of time."

George puts his phone down. "Well, what should we do today?"

Clay grins. "Let's just have a little party here."

I smile, turning around excitedly to face him. "Hey, yeah! We can play games!"

"And order pizza!" Nick joins in.

"We can drink!" Clay exclaims before him and George start laughing.   
"I'm kidding by the way." he adds after seeing Nick and I not laughing.

Nick and I frown, exchanging glances before I turn to the other two with my arms crossed. "Why can't we?"

"Yeah." Nick agrees.

George raises a brow at the two of us. "Because you two aren't of legal age in the US."

I furrow my brows and frown. "I'm twenty, it surely shouldn't matter for me."

"Hey!" Nick shouts, shoving me lightly. "You can't just leave me out like that, help me out too."

I groan. "And if we're all doing it, then Nick can do it too."

Clay sighs, laughing and shaking his head. "You're such a bad influence Y/n, you might as well be nineteen like Nick."

My mouth opens in offense. "You're such a dick." I mutter, reaching out and smacking his arm.

"It doesn't matter because we're not gonna be drinking, none of us." George speaks up.

Clay points his finger at George. "Exactly."

Nick huffs and crosses his arms. "You guys are literally no fun. If it's gonna be a party, it has to be exciting."

"How about, you and Y/n go to the store and get what you want for the party," Clay suggests, ignoring Nicks first comment. "Then me and George can get stuff set up here."

Nick glances at me, silently asking if we should go. I shrug, nodding my head.

He groans, getting up off the couch. "Fine, we'll be off then. Let's go Y/n."

He motions for me to follow after him towards the front door.

"Y/n, wait." Clay stops me, grabbing something out of his pocket. He pulls out his wallet and then his card, handing it to me. "This party's on me, use that."

I laugh, shaking my hand and pushing his hand back. "Nope."

I begin to turn away but he turns be back around. "Take it Y/n."

"No, why the hell would I?"

"Y/n, I'd just take it." George mumbles from his seat, his eyes not leaving his phone screen. "He's gonna make you take it either way."

"Fine." I grumble, snatching the card from his hand, stuffing it into my back pocket.

I turn back around and follow after Nick as he continue walking out of the house and towards the car.

I suddenly stop again, turning around in the doorway. "Clay, gimme the keys to your car."

He fumbles around in his pocket, the keys jangling around before he pulls them out, tossing them across the room to me.

"Be careful with it, don't mess my car up." he warns.

I roll my eyes. "I drove you bitches home last night, calm down pissbaby."

"Don't call me-" I hear him begin to shout, but I cut him off by closing the front door.

I walk to the car, Nick leaning against the passenger side, waiting for the car to be unlocked.

"You almost forgot these." I tell him, unlocking the car then holding the keys up for him to see.

He gets in and shrugs. "I figured you'd get them."

I laugh, starting the car and driving off to the store nearby. Clay had already shown me around a little bit so I'm already familiar with the buildings close by.

I find a parking space and we get out, walking into the giant Target store. I grab a cart and push it along towards the food first, Nick leading ahead of me.

"I think we'll just need snacks and maybe a game." Nick mutters, looking through the large aisle of chips.

I push the cart past Nick to where all the party chip bags are. "Let's just grab a couple of these."

He nods and grabs a bag of Lays potato chips and Doritos, throwing them in the cart.

Nick grabs the front of the cart and starts pulling it along behind him towards the next aisle.  
We slowly add more food to the cart as we pass, grabbing some candy, drinks, and fruit.

I suddenly feel my phone buzz in my back pocket. I take it out and my mouth drops open at the notification.

"What is it?" Nick asks, stopping beside me and leaning over to look at my phone.

He laughs as he reads it. "Are they serious? Click on it."

I nod, clicking on the notification from Twitch that 'dreamwastaken' is live and playing minecraft with GeorgeNotFound.

"They're supposed to be getting everything ready there." I frown.

"Maybe they finished?" Nick shrugs, watching as Dream and George run around the SMP.

I shake my head. "We've been gone for like ten minutes."

He laughs, agreeing with me that they couldn't have finished things up at the house.

I sigh, putting the phone down, deciding to scold them later, and finish shopping right now.

As we walk down the main walkway, Nick stops.  
I turn around, rolling my eyes as I see him walk into the alcohol section.

"Nick, what are you doing?" I ask, shaking my head as I follow him.

"Hear me out." he says simply, looking through the bottles.

I laugh. "No, Nick. We can't even legally buy any of this, so it won't work."

He turns around to me, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face. "How about we just.. Sneak it out of here."

My mouth drops open. "Nick! I didn't think you'd be up to steal anything! We're not doing it though."

He rolls his eyes. "I was kidding!" he huffs as we make our way out of the aisle.

"Mhm, sure." I grin, teasing him.

"Y/n, I was!"

"I believe you!" I shout back.

We make our way up towards the checkout, stopping at the game aisle to get cards games, since we didn't bother to check what Clay has at his house. We could call and ask, but it'd be more fun to surprise them.  
We have uno, cards against humanity, and go fish.

When the lady asks us to pay, I reach into my back pocket and take out a card, Clays card. I look at it before deciding to put it back in my pocket and find my own card in my other pocket.

I thank the woman at checkout after using my card while Nick puts the grocery bags back in the cart.

Once we're done, we head back to the car.

"Didn't Clay give you his card?" Nick asks as we walk.

"Yeah?"

He furrows his brows. "Why didn't you use it? We could've just done a shopping spree all on his card."

I shake my head. "I don't wanna do that, he's payed for more than enough. And I had enough money, so it was better that way."

Nick shrugs, opening the trunk and beginning to load in the bags.   
He shuts it once we're done and leans against the top, grinning at me. "You like him, huh?"

My eyes widen and I feel my cheeks heat up slightly. "W-What? No."

His grin widens and he reaches out the pat my shoulder. I glance at his hand before looking back at him. "Y/n, your secret is safe with me."

I let out a small breath I was holding, relaxing. "Thanks Nick."

"Aha! I knew it!" he shouts, getting excited.

I look at him confused. "What?"

"So you do like him!"

"Wait you didn't know that the first time you said I like him?!" I exclaim.

He shakes his head, grinning. "It was a hunch but you just confirmed it."

"Nick!" I groan, reaching out to punch his shoulder.

After he finishes laughing, we get in the car. I stay quiet as I think, Nick not noticing since he's singing along to the radio.

Was I really so obvious with my crush on Clay that Nick was able to figure it out?   
So if Nick can get a hunch, that means George definitely knows something. And what if Clay knows? I know he's not dumb, his IQ is probably through the roof, something like this couldn't slip past him. Especially since the thing that mostly gives it away is the way I talk and react with the blond.

What if he knows and just doesn't want to bring it up because he doesn't like me back?

So it's either he knows and doesn't wanna say anything, or I'm really giving him too much credit and he doesn't have a clue.

Nick finally seems to notice my worry as I'm thinking, my eyes never leaving the road.

"Y/n, Clay is blind." Nick says. "He most likely doesn't even suspect anything."

I smile, my grip on the steering wheel loosening. "Thank you."

"Anytime." he nods before going back to singing along with the music.

Once we get back to the house, we show Clay and George everything we had bought.

I look at the two of them, crossing my arms. "So what did you two do while _we_ were doing something productive."   
I know the answer, I just want to see if they tell the truth.

Clay nervously laughs, scratching the back of his neck. "We were uh, cleaning."

"Yeah, we thought it was pretty messy." George agrees.

I glance at Nick, both of us raising our brows before turning back to the two others. They stand there, so obviously lying and trying to hide the fact that Clay had actually streamed, and George used my computer to play with him.

"Bullshit." I tell them.

"Yeah, did you think we wouldn't find out?" Nick says. "Y/n got a notification that you were streaming."

Clay sighs, looking away since they were shamefully caught lying.

"I told you." George mutters to the blond.

Clay turns to him, his mouth open in offense. "No you did not! Neither of us had thought she'd have my notifications on- wait."

He turns to me, suddenly smirking. "You have my notifications on?"

"That's not what we're gonna focus on." I tell him, crossing my arms and glancing away. "Since you two did nothing, you'll set stuff up in here and Nick and I will get the snack and drinks ready."

Everyone agrees, Clay and George staying in the living room to clear some space on the floor and bring extra blankets and pillows in.   
Nick and I head to the kitchen, looking through cabinets to find the large bowls to pour the chips in.

The two of us have a hard time finding where Clay hides his stupid bowls, Nick searching the bottom cabinets while I search the upper ones.

Using a barstool to stand on, I open the cabinet above the fridge. I'm surprised when I see bottles of alcohol, some of them almost halfway done.

Seeing them, I suddenly get an idea, turning to Nick with a mischievous grin.  
"Nick." I whisper, trying to get just his attention.

It works and he turns around, looking up at me as I pull out a bottle of vodka.

His eyes widen and he turns around to make sure Clay doesn't see before reaching up for it.

I hand it to him and get off the chair, making sure to close the cabinet first. I follow Nick to the counter, our backs turned to the living room.

Nick grabs four empty cups, beginning to make the four of us drinks. I stand beside him, watching him mix a simple drink. He glances over his shoulder at George and Clay before shooing me away to get the chips and dip ready.

I huff, leaving the kitchen to ask Clay where he keeps his bowls, since finding them myself was too difficult, not to mention I got distracted.

They ended up being in a cabinet Nick had already check, his excuse for not finding them was because they were too far in the back.

I fill the bowls with the chips, using a couple to separate each kind.  
Once the two of us are finished, we carry everything out and set it on the table.

The four of us sit around the table, cards against humanity sitting in the center, with the chips spread randomly around.

As we begin to play, Nick and I watch as Clay finally reaches for his drink, the two of us trying our best to suppress our laughter.

Clay takes a sip, his face scrunching up as he tastes the alcoholic drink. He swallows before looking to Nick. "Did you put alcohol in this?"

"Well no shit sherlock, if it tastes like alcohol, there's a very high chance that's exactly what's in it." Nick rolls his eyes, leaning against the table.

"Where did you even find- what is this even?" he takes another sip.

George does the same, his eyebrows raising as he tastes it. "It's vodka."

"Yep." I grin, grabbing my own cup and drinking.

Nick had mixed the vodka with just water and flavored mio, making the drink sweeter. There's still the obvious burning taste of vodka in the drink but the water diluted it, and the mio added to both makes everything sweeter.

"We found where you keep you're alcohol, Clay." I grin, narrowing my eyes at him as I take another sip, teasing him by drinking when he said Nick and I couldn't awhile ago.

"And it's an awful lot for someone who turned twenty one just two and a half months ago." Nick adds, his eyebrows raised at Clay.

The blond rolls his eyes. "Fine, I was obviously already drinking before twenty one."

"Wow, Clay." George sighs, jokingly shaking his head disapprovingly. "Setting a bad example for them."

I glare at George. "We're not children like Tommy."

"At least Tommy is allowed to drink alcohol." George mumbles.

"With an adult to hold his hand." Nick grumbles.

George shrugs. "You're just mad that a sixteen year old can legally drink alcohol in the Uk and you're not."

"Who's gonna tell the police we're drinking?" I ask, casually taking another sip.  
They don't say anything for a moment, so I continue. "Exactly, no one."

"Fine, fine. Whatever, just play your damn card." Clay tells me, already holding George and Nicks face down while waiting for mine.

We play for awhile, the rounds slowing down as we drink more. The alcohol added with the highly inappropriate cards, causing us to burst out in fits of laughter on each card. Half the time we're laughing so hard we can't even read the answers written.

After the card games, Clay pulls out his old Wii, along with four remotes. Everyone decides on Wii sports, trying out the different games on there before deciding on Tennis.

It's Clay and Nick against George and I, the three boys choosing to stand while I opted to sit on the couch. Nick has been drinking the most so I decided against standing by him, his movements while swinging the controller harsher and quicker.

I almost feel bad for Clay when Nick swings his remote straight at the blond's stomach, hitting him hard.

Clay groans, doubling over and grabbing his stomach, the tennis game continuing on without him until George and I score another point, both of us calmer with our motions than the other team.

"Clay!" Nick shouts, a replay of how we earned the point playing on the tv. "Where were you?!"

"On the ground because of _you,_ dumbass!" Clay growls, standing up with his hand still lightly placed on his stomach.

"Clay, we are going to _lose,_ if you don't get your head in the game!"

"They're kicking our asses, we've practically lost already!"

I get up off the couch, having to steady myself before stopping their shouting match. "Ladies, ladies. Let's calm down, we can switch teams after this game."

Clay crosses his arms. "I don't wanna play this game anymore." he pouts. "I wanna bowl."

I roll my eyes. "Fine, princess. We'll bowl."  
Nick sides with Clay and George shrugs his shoulders, fine with whatever.

We finish the tennis game, George and I completely destroying them before switching to bowling, which isn't my strong suit.

This is the game Clay gets his pride back, his score at the end almost reaching two hundred points while the three of ours were just barely passing one hundred.

George blames his low score on the Wii remote, saying it doesn't feel right in his hands. On multiple turns, the controller went flying out of his hand, barely missing the tv. Clay had shouted at him to be more careful, demanding he put the strap around his wrist.  
After the second time George threw the remote, I had actually forced him to put the strap on, but he'd just take it off because it 'messed him up'.

"You guys, suck!" Clay cheers, swinging the remote around on his wrist after his win.

"Dude, if I wasn't drunk right now," Nick mumbles, pausing to lay on the couch. "I'd kick your ass."

"Imagine being drunk." George snickers, obviously drunk, but not as bad as Nick.

"Imagine bein a light weight." Nick shoots back. "You haven't even had that many drinks, and you're pretty much as drunk as me."

"Yeah, well, _someone_ made my drink too strong."

I sit on the couch as they argue, Clay having gone into another room to order pizza. The two of us are a little tipsy, but sober enough to think straight.   
I'm not too sure how many drinks Clay has had, but I know I've had just as many as Nick. I'm definitely not a light weight so it's funny to see the differences between the two of us.

It's also entertaining to watch George and Nick bicker, their speech becoming slurred as they go on.

Once Clay gets back, we split them up, sitting them on opposite sides of the couch while we wait for the pizza to get here.

We put Youtube on and about twenty minutes later, the doorbell rings. Clay gets up to get it, coming back a moment later with a box of pizza. The three of us perk up at the smell, our stomachs rumbling, causing me to realize just how hungry I was.

I get up and grab paper plates, not wanting anything to fall on the floor or couch. I hand them out as everyone grabs slices and begin eating.

"George can't even finish." Nick giggles like a child, eating the last bite of his second piece of pizza.

"I can too!" George shouts, taking large quick bites.

"George!" I exclaim, grabbing his arm and pulling it away from his mouth. "Stop that, you'll choke."

Nick begins laughing more. "You need Y/n to babysit you too?"

"At least I can drink whenever I want, you fucking bitch!" George yells his british accent more pronounced. He stands up, stumbling before using my head to keep him steady.

"Okay, that's enough fun for tonight." Clay claps, standing up and walking up to George as I swat his hand off my head.

Clay carefully grabs Georges arm, putting his other hand on the Brits back. "Time for bed."

I get up and help Nick stand up while Clay brings George to the stairs.

I wrap Nicks arm around my shoulder, guiding him towards the guest room. At some point I hear a light thud on the stairs, followed by Clay's laughter.

I can't help but grin at the sound of his laugh, before remembering what I was doing.

This would be a lot easier if, one Nick could help me out a bit more, and two if I didn't have as much alcohol in my system, making me weaker than I normally would be.

I finally get Nick in his room, letting him fall onto his bed before pushing him on the rest of the way. I huff, throwing the blanket over him before walking out of the room.

Clay's already back downstairs, moving the food and trash up onto the counter, too tired to actually clean, but wanting to make sure things are put up.

I wait for him before we both head up to his room. We take turns changing in the bathroom before getting in bed.

I check the time on my phone, surprised it's only seven and were all so tired.

I put my phone down, and not even five minutes later, the two of us are already fast asleep.

__________

I groan, opening my eyes to Clays dark room, the only light coming from the sky outside his balcony.

I sit up, rubbing my eyes and squinting to check the time on my phone; 12:15 a.m.

It's still way too early to even be up, but for some reason I'm not tired at all. I glance to my left as I hear Clay snore lightly, his back turned to me.

My head hurts a tiny bit from drinking earlier, but other than that I'm perfectly fine.   
I smile, reaching out and scratching Clays back gently before getting out of bed.

I head to his glass balcony door, opening it quietly before stepping outside into the cool night air. The slight breeze blowing my hair back, causing me to shiver and rub my bare arms, wishing I had put a jacket on, but just too lazy to head back inside and get one.

I lean against the metal railing, looking up at the night sky, the moon and all the stars shining brightly tonight, lighting up the area so I can see perfectly.

It's calming, listening to the breeze blow past, the occasional car driving down the street so late at night, and even the sound of the next door neighbors waterfall, the water splashing from their spa into the pool.

I turn as I hear the balcony door slide open, Clay stepping outside with a small smile on his face.

"Sorry I woke you up." I apologize, turning back around.

Clay shakes his head, leaning against the railing beside me. "It's fine, I was barely asleep anyways."

He laughs. "It took me a couple minutes to find you, I didn't hear you open the slider so I was looking all around the house for you once you didn't come back to bed."

I blush, his words making me feel good, like I'm actually being cared for by someone who worries about me. "I just needed some fresh air."

He's silent for a moment before speaking up. "It's beautiful." he says, looking up at the sky.

I hum, agreeing with him.   
I suddenly shiver as the breeze picks up again.

He notices and holds out the hoodie he brought out. "Here, it's pretty cold out here."

I smile, gladly accepting it and putting it on, warming up immediately. I put the hood down, rubbing my hands together and blowing into them to warm them up.

Clay chuckles. "You're cute."

I suddenly stop, my heartbeat quickening as I turn to him, no longer needing to warm myself up because my body feels like it's on fire.

I glance at him as he turns to me, a smile on his face. He gently grabs my upper arms and turns me towards him, causing me to be face to face with him.

I look up at him, the moonlight shining down on him, brightening up his features and allowing me to see him clearly. The tips of his blond hair that hang just in front of his eyes blowing ever so slightly. His emerald green eyes lighting up to an even brighter and mesmerizing shade.

My eyes trail down to his lips, a small, happy grin pulling at the corners of his mouth as he looks down at me.

"I don't think I've told you how beautiful you are yet." he says, his voice low as he slowly leans in towards me.

My eyes flick up to his, but they're not meeting my own. His hands run across my arms before his warm hands grasp my colder ones, warming them up immediately. Our bodies so close, my arms resting against his chest.

He stops leaning in, our lips only centimeters apart as he looks up at me, catching my gaze, my heart pounding in my chest.  
"Can I?" he murmurs, his warm breath dancing over my lips.

I part my lips, licking them as I try to gather enough sense to answer him.   
I breathe, nodding my head ever so slightly. "Yeah."

That was the only thing he needed before his lips met with mine, my heart skipping a beat.   
Time seemed to stop the moment our lips came together, the fluttering in my stomach intensifying.

His hands let go of my own, making their way up to the back of my head as he deepens the kiss. My own hands rest against his chest at first but slowly reach up to wrap around his neck, our bodies now pressed together.

I melt at his touch, my knees getting weaker every second. I can only focus on how soft his lips feel against my own, everything about him invading my senses.

He gently pulls his lips away, resting his forehead against mine as we catch our breath. The feeling of his lips still lingering on my own, leaving me with a soft tingling sensation.

He leans back in and gently pecks my lips. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that."

I smile, looking up into his eyes. "I've been waiting for a little while too."

His hands drop, wrapping around my waist and keeping me close. "I have to ask, you're not.. drunk, or anything, right?"

I laugh lightly, shaking my head. "No, but I could be asking you the same thing."

He shakes his head. "No, I'm definitely sober. I'm not into drinking that much."

"I do have another question though." I tell him.

"Shoot."

"Why do you have so many bottles of alcohol?"

He begins laughing, a slight wheeze escaping his lips. "You found those, huh? They're from my parents. As some joke, for two months they gave me a bottle every week leading up to my twenty first birthday."

I chuckle, the closeness and joy him and his family has warms my heart.  
"But then, why are some of them almost halfway done?"

"My mom comes over a lot." he answers with another laugh. "I'm surprised she hasn't come while you're here yet."

I sigh happily, everything going right in the past week.   
"I hope I get to meet her." I mumble, resting my head against his chest.

He wraps his arms around my body, resting his chin on the top of my head. "You will, I promise."

It's silent before he speaks up. "Y/n, will you be my girlfriend?"

I pull away slightly to look up at him. "Clay, we just kissed? What do you think I'm going to say?"

"Hopefully yes."

I roll my eyes, laughing. "Yes, of course I'll be you're girlfriend."

"That's pog." he grins, quickly pecking my lips twice in a row.

I keep my lips in a straight line as he does it.  
"You did not just say pog."

"I did." he nods.

I shake my head. "You're such a dummy."

He leans down again, his lips brushing against mine. "Yeah, but I'm your dummy now."

He connects our lips again, all the previous feelings coming back from the first time he kissed me.

We're in our own little world, until we hear two voices coming from the sliding glass door.

"Awwwww!" George and Nick say in sync.

Clay and I quickly pull apart, our eyes wide as we stare at the two of them.

"They kissed!" Nick says excitedly to George.

"They're finally together!" George adds, the both of them getting excited.

"Were you two spying on us?!" I question, getting slight nods from both of them.

"You two were just acting so cute!" Nick defends. "We had to make sure it was finally happening!"

"You're hungover asses should both be in bed!" I shout, running back inside and chasing after them.

"I'm honestly not that bad anymore, just a slight headache!" George tells me over his shoulder.

I don't care, the two of them ruined the moment between Clay and I, granted the moment was already coming to an end, but they stopped it too early.

I chase them back into their own rooms before heading back up to Clays room, happily falling into his open arms in bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yayy, they're together now ,, you're all welcome :)


	17. Sexy boyfriend things

_I chase them back into their own rooms before heading back up to Clays room, happily falling into his open arms in bed._   
______________________

I wake up to a heavy pressure on my chest, something- or more like someone, lying halfway on top of me. I shift a bit and the blond, still asleep, gets the idea and moves off of my chest, his legs still tangled with mine under the covers.  
His arms stay wrapped tightly around me, keeping me pulled close to him.

With one arm unable to move since Clay's laying on it, I use my one free hand to gently run my fingers through his soft hair, the action calming for both me and him.

After a few silent moments, just listening to Clay's soft and gentle breaths, he begins moving. He stretches out, letting out a long and satisfied sigh as he blinks his eyes open. I gently take my hand away from his hair.

He looks up at me from lying on my collarbone, his tired eyes half lidded. "Good morning." he mumbles, his voice husky from just waking up.

"Good morning sleepy head." I reply, giggling at his tired expression.

There's no way last night was a dream, right? I mean, the kiss and him asking me out couldn't have all been made up, my head playing some sick joke on me. If we weren't together, he wouldn't be lying on me like this. Right? We've laid together before, but definitely not like this, our legs tangled together and his head on my shoulder.

I'm disrupted from my thoughts as Clay sits up a little bit, stretching up to peck my lips. "Whatcha thinkin about?"

I smile, that kiss the last thing I needed to know that last night was indeed real.  
I wrap my arms around him, holding him closer to me. "I'm thinking about the best, most amazing, most handsome boyfriend any girl can have."

He frowns, acting as if he's thinking about who I'm talking about. "This guy sounds great, but who could possibly be _that_ amazing?"

While he fake ponders it, I grab my phone and go to my camera. I keep my hand hovering over the button to take a photo as I turn the screen around to show Clay.  
"Look! This is the guy!" he looks up at the camera as I suddenly start spamming my photos with him.

"Hey!" he shouts, unwrapping his arm from around me and trying to reach for my phone, but I pull it back and above my head before he can grab it. "That was uncalled for."

I angle the screen down to me, looking up and happily scrolling through all the photos I just took. "Aw, but they're so cute! I love them!"

He sits up on his knees, trying to reach out for the phone again but I move it behind my back. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, Y/n."

I shrug my shoulders, keeping quiet. I don't like to make things easy, so theres no way I'm just handing my phone over.

"Fine, the hard way it is then." he laughs, reaching his hand behind my back.

I keep moving it around every time he almost grabs it, making sure to keep it out of his reach.  
He finally grabs one of my wrists and holds onto it tightly, not letting me use it to switch my phone into. Quickly after, he grabs my other wrist, pinning that one to my side also.

"What're you gonna do now?" he asks, looking down at me as he kneels above me.

I attempt to pull my hand with the phone in it out of his grasp, only to have him laugh, his grip still strong. I know there's no way I'm getting out of his grip, he beats me in strength.  
"That's no fair, you're stronger than me." I pout.

"All's fair in love and war." he grins, knowing he's won.

In one last attempt, I lean up and try pecking his lips to catch him off guard, maybe then he'll loosen his grip and I can make my escape.

He quickly moves his head back, avoiding my kiss.

Damn it.

With a sly grin still on his face, he leans back down as my head falls back onto the pillow, a defeated sigh escaping my lips.

My eyes widen slightly as he leans in right beside my ear, a breathy chuckle escaping his lips.  
"Nice try, love." he whispers, his voice low and rough.

My heart starts pounding against my chest, my face heating up.  
 _Holy shit that was attractive as hell._

I'm in such a daze, I don't even notice him slide my phone out of my hand, backing away from me as he does so.

He sits back on his heels, smirking at me as I sit up, leaning against the headboard. I pull my knees up to my chest and lay my head on them, covering part of my blushing face.

He turns my phone on, swiping up and freezing once he's met with my four digit passcode. He looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to say the code.

I laugh, getting over my previous feelings and crawling across the bed to where Clay's sitting with his legs hanging off the bed. "I'm not telling you the password."

"But the photos." he whines, slumping against me, his head on my shoulder.

I take my phone out of his hands, using face ID then giving it back to him. "I think you looked cute, but if you don't like them, you can delete them."

He smiles at me, selecting all but one of the photos and deleting them before turning the phone off and handing it back to me.   
"You get to keep one." he decides, standing up and grabbing some clothes from his drawer.

I smile up at him as he walks into the bathroom, happy he let me keep one of the photos. It doesn't seem like much, but a simple, silly photo like this makes me so unbelievably happy.   
I don't want to compare my new relationship with Clay to Dylan at all, I'm with Clay so Dylan shouldn't matter at all. But it makes me feel better to know I'm doing much better with someone who actually cares for me.

I never took any photos like this with Dylan, hell I've never even messed around with Dylan like I just did with Clay, I wouldn't dare.   
The only photos me and Dylan took were if we went out to somewhere random, and we were never even alone to spend time together, he always had his friends and their occasional girlfriends there.

Even in the set up photos, if I were to look back on them, I can tell how uncomfortable I was standing beside Dylan, his arm wrapped around my waist. Just looking at those ones make me feel empty again.

But looking at pictures with Clay like this one, and even the group photos we took with George, Nick, and Darryl, they make me happy and full of joy.

I'm not to sure how to describe it, but you can tell we're all happy and having fun with each other.

I turn my phone on, looking down at the picture.

Clay walks back into the room, brushing his teeth, toothpaste poking out of the corners of his mouth. "Why are you practically in love with that? It's just a dumb picture of me."

"It is not dumb!" I defend, grinning as I look down at it once again. "It's cute."

"I'll take regular pictures with you too you know." he says.

I stand up, walking up to him and standing on my tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "Do you have any flaws?"

"I'm a gamer for a living." he mutters.

"Shut up." I laugh. "There's nothing wrong with that, it's a bonus if you ask me."

He hums happily, going back into the bathroom to spit and finish getting ready.  
I walk in as he walks out, and when I pass by him he stops me, leaning down for a kiss. I gladly accept, but before our lips can meet, he quickly spins away, laughing.

"What was that?" I ask, confused.

"Your breath is stinky."

My mouth falls open. "I kissed you earlier when your breath smelt bad."

"Yeah, but that's when both of our breaths smelt bad, now it's just yours since mine is fresh and minty." he shrugs, walking to his door. "Hurry up though, I'll meet you downstairs."

I roll my eyes. "Fine then Mr. Pissbaby." I mutter.

"What was that?" he questions, suddenly popping back into the doorway.

"Nothing." I assure him, shutting the bathroom door to get ready.

I sigh, feeling refreshed as I walk down the stairs, my hair and teeth brushed, my makeup on, and my day clothes on.

"Why'd you get ready? We're not going anywhere." Nick grumbles, glancing at me through his fingers, his hand covering his face. He quickly glances at Clay sitting on the opposite side of the couch. "Right?"

"Not now, but we are later." the blond responds, not taking his eyes off his phone.

Nick slowly nods before looking back at me. "And you're going to be wearing that?"

I frown looking down at myself, seeing nothing wrong with my light blue jeans, and whitish cropped vintage sweatshirt, a black collar long sleeve on underneath.  
"I don't see what's wrong with it."

Nick groans, his head rolling back to lie against the couch pillows. "You're gonna be hella cold later in the night."

I pull my phone out of my back pocket, opening the weather app and checking the temperature to make sure he's not just saying that. But he's right, once the sun goes down later tonight, the temperature will drop to fifty five degrees.

Clay looks up at me, waving his hand. "You'll be fine. I'll bring my hoodie for you."

"Thats awfully bold of you Clay." Nick chuckles. "Offering her your hoodie for later."

Clay and I turn to look at Nick, visibly confused as to why he said the blond would seem bold for that.

"Yeah.." Clay drawled out, talking slowly as if the brown haired boy is a child. "That'd be pretty shitty if her own boyfriend didn't give her his hoodie."

Nick's mouth falls open, his eyes open widen as he switches from looking at Clay and me.   
"Wait-" he mumbles, pointing at me then to Clay, keeping eye contact with me as he does it. "You're dating him?!"

I raise a brow, glancing at Clay before I start laughing, the blond wheezing.

"Nick, you were literally there last night." Clay says between wheezes. "You walked in on us k-"

I quickly cross the short distance between me and Clay, slapping my hand over his mouth before he can finish his sentence.   
If Nick can't remember interrupting our kiss, then I'd rather not remind him.

"You walked in on us hugging." I smile suspiciously, my hand still covering Clays mouth.

I quickly yank my hand away as he licks the palm of my hand, wiping the warm saliva off on his shorts. "Clay, ew!"

He laughs. "Theres no point in Nick _not_ knowing about last night. The two of them are going to see us kiss again anyways."

I blush, sitting on my knees in front of Clay as he sits on the couch, his knees pulled up a bit.   
I lean against his legs, my head resting against his knee as Nick laughs uncontrollably after being reminded of what happened last night. The fact that we kissed seemingly being the only piece he needed to remember almost everything from earlier.

"So me and George interrupted you two?" he manages to get out, calming down.

Clay nods his head, unfazed as Nick laughs at us, not even the hint of an embarrassed blush on the blonds face.

"Where is that British bitch anyways?" the younger boy asks, easily getting sidetracked.

I pull away from Clay and point up the stairs. "When I passed by his room he was still asleep."

"Not for long." Nick giggles.   
The two boys smirk at each other mischievously before both of them get up and race up the stairs, their feet stomping up the stairs could be heard a mile away. If George wasn't so hungover, I'd be surprised if he's still asleep after that.

I stay downstairs, laughing to myself as I listen to them waking George up.

"George!" Clay shouts. "Why is it so dark in here?!"

"And why are you hiding under the covers?!" Nick also shouts.

I hear Georges quieter voice mutter something, but it's too quiet to hear clearly.  
Changing my mind and wanting to see all the commotion, I get up and jog upstairs.

"Go away," George aggressively grumbles as I make it to the doorway.

I begin laughing as I walk in and see Nick and Clay trying to pull the covers off of George, who's holding the blanket tightly over his head, somehow he's able to fight back against the other two that are tugging at the covers.

They finally are able to pull the blanket off of George, high-fiving as the Brit groans in annoyance.

"Georgeee," Clay whines, using both hands to shake George in his bed and hopefully wake him up more. "we need to have a talk."

"I didn't do anything, I swear." George mumbles.

"No-no, I know you didn't do anything." Clay says. "It's nothing bad, don't worry."

"Clay wants to tell us that him and Y/n are dating!" Nick cheers excitedly, now being the one to shake George.

Hearing Nicks words, the Brit immediately sits up in bed, his mouth open in shock. "So you _finally_ grew the balls to ask her out?!"

Clay rolls his eyes but nods. "I did it last night, and you two actually barged in on it."

George frowns, glancing at me for a moment before looking at Nick. "We did?"

Nick shrugs. "Yeah, I guess so. I don't remember much though."

George smiles, turning to Clay. "Good job man."

"Yeah, we're hella proud you're gettin them girls." Nick adds, the three of them high-fiving.

Clay smiles, glancing at me while I lean against the doorway, the other two pushing him around, really just hyping themselves up.

We all end up moving to the living room and sit down on the couch, George dragging down the blanket from the bed upstairs.

"Okay, us dating is something I wanted to talk about." Clay starts beside me. He has his arms leaning against his thighs, looking down at the coffee table as he thinks.

He finally looks up to the other two boys as they curiously stare at him. "We have to keep this private. My fans can not know I'm dating someone."

I nod along with him. We hadn't talked about this, but I had known he would want to keep this private. I'm definitely not complaining, I myself wanted this to be kept away from the fans and viewers.

"With how much our viewers think _we_ should be together, I don't wanna know how toxic they'll be if they know Y/n snatched you up." George sighs, shaking his head as he thinks of the rotten fans. "I definitely wouldn't want you to go through something like that, Y/n."

"Yeah, we care about you." Nick adds. "We can't let anything happen to you."

I smile in thanks, having to look down and make sure I don't start crying from all this.   
They're all so nice and caring, and they accepted me just like that.   
They all have so much trust in each other, once Clay helped me and took me in, the other two trusted me without hesitation, Clays word being more than enough for them.

The blond beside me reaches out and grabs my hand, interlacing our fingers and squeezing my hand reassuringly.

He turns back to the others.  
"So George, at the fair tonight, please tell us before you start recording things." Clay says. "We'll act like friends with the camera on, but I don't want that the whole time. I need to be able to be with her without the camera on us, do things couples normally would."

"Aw, I can already see it." Nick coos, putting his hands on his face. "I can also already see George and I doing some major third wheeling."

George laughs before nodding his head. "Of course Clay. I'll be careful with all the recording."

"Thanks guys." I say, unable to stop the stray tears I wasn't able to hold back from falling down my face. "All this is new to me, but you guys make it easier."

Clay sees the tears and wipes them away with his thumb before pulling me into a hug. Nick and George get up and join in, making it a group hug.

Over the next couple hours while we wait for it to get darker, George gets on Clays computer and starts streaming without a face cam. The rest of us all sit around and watch him as he practices on the parkour map for MCC, which is in a little more than a week.  
Clay and I sit on his bed, I lean against his chest, scrolling through Tik Tok while the boys watch and laugh with George.

After some time, Nick takes over Georges stream, practicing himself.   
They tell me I should practice the map too, since it'll be my first time, but I decline, choosing to stay laying against Clay.

It turns six, George having ended his stream a couple hours ago already. The boys all get up to get ready, finally changing out of their pajamas.

George changes into a white brand t-shirt with a brown jacket over it, and black jeans.  
Nick picks a simple thicker black long sleeved shirt and light blue jeans, choosing to skip the hoodie he normally wears.  
And finally after a couple minutes of the rest of us waiting, Clay comes downstairs, wearing a dark brown patterned jacket, a thin black long sleeve underneath, and tan pants. He also has a black hoodie hanging over his arm.

I grin, standing up and running up to Clay as he reaches the bottom of the stairs. I wrap my arms tightly around him, holding him close before pulling away.

I fix his jacket then look up at him. "You look very handsome, sir."

He laughs. "So do you- I mean, you look gorgeous."

"Barf!" Nick coughs into his hand. "Get a room."

"Maybe we will." Clay shoots back, messing around with Nick.

But my heart tightens with his joking words, the thought of being with Clay like that-  
 _No. Stop being such a dummy, he was making a joke. Leave it to you to think too much about it._

"Maybe _you_ two should get a room." George shakes his head, talking about Clay and Nick.

Nick vigorously shakes his head, his face scrunching up at the thought. "I'm definitely not like that. I'll only be homiesexual."

"How about we all get in the car, yeah?" I say, reminding everyone of the fact that we have somewhere to go.

We all leave the house and get in the car, Clay being the driver and George getting shotgun, Nick and I being chaotic in the backseat the entire way there.

"Oh my gosh!" George sighs, getting out of the car and stretching once we get there. "I thought you two would never shut the hell up."

"I honestly don't understand how you two sang the _entire_ drive here." Clay agrees with George as the rest of us get out. "That's like thirty minutes, and you two were practically screaming."

"Psh, that's nothing." Nick waves off. "Right, Y/n?"

"Yeah, I've jammed out way longer than thirty lousy minutes."

"Wow, you two are cool." George mutters, the four of us beginning to walk towards the fairgrounds.

"Damn right." Nick and I say, fist bumping.

We get to the front, George stepping to the side to record the start of the video for the fair while the rest of us buy the tickets.

While we wait for George to finish, waving to the camera when it turns to us for a second, we look around. The blinking lights and attractions lighting up everything around us in all different colors.

"What should we do first?" Clay asks, grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together after he sees George turn the camera off behind us.

"We should do the ferris wheel last." I point out, seeing the large and brightly colored ride at the far side of the grounds. It's moving pretty slow so it'll be a good last ride since it'll be long and calming.

"Lets go to the petting zoo!" Nick begs more than suggests. "Then we _have_ to watch the pig race."

The rest of us agree with him, heading to the petting zoo to see all the animals they have.  
When we get to the front, a nice woman hands us each a cup of food to feed to the animals, before letting us in.

Nick and George run up to the goats, George with his camera out and Nick with a outstretched hand of food, George having given Nick his cup because he doesn't want the animals licking his hand.

I let go of Clays hand since George is recording before crouching down next to Nick. I reach my hand out and let the little goat eat the food off it, scrunching my face up at the feeling of it's tongue on my hand. But I don't really care, I'll just wash it off after.

"Ew! It's licking all over your guy's hands." George almost gags, watching the three of us feed the animals.

I stand up and reach my dirty hand out towards George. "Oh, Georgeee." I drawl out, stepping towards him.

With the camera still pointed at me, George starts backing away. "Get your filthy ass hand away from me."

I laugh as I chase after him. He stops the recording and puts his phone away since there's no reason to record anymore.

"Leave me alone!" he shouts back at me.

He soon gets far enough away, so I end up giving up, walking back to the other two.

I smirk and reach my hand out to Clay. "Wanna hold my hand now?"

He giggles before grasping my hand with his dirty one.

"Aw-awww!" I groan, pulling my hand away. "You were supposed to say no and be grossed out."

"Why would I do that?" he asks. "I'll hold your hand anytime, no matter what. It's comforting."

"You guys know I'm still here, yeah?" Nick says.

I turn to him and smirk, reaching my hand out towards him. But just like Clay, he isn't grossed out, instead, he high-fives me.

I groan as the three of us go wash our hands off, George appearing only once our hands are clean.

We walk around and look at more animals before stopping in front of a little pen with a cow in it, a worker sitting on a small stool beside the cow. Next to the worker is a young boy, reaching under the cow to milk it.

"They let you milk a cow?" I ask, watching as the boy does so.

"I really wanna milk that cow." Nick says determined, already heading to the small line.

"Of course you do country boy." Clay laughs, though Nick doesn't seem to hear, being too invested in the cow for some reason.

He's the only one to get in line, no one else wanting to do it. We lean against the railing, laughing and for some reason cheering for Nick once he sits down and milks the cow.

It's usually kids who do it and when they finish, they're given a sticker. Nick was not left out of this, the worker giving him a sticker that he proudly puts on his shirt.

We walk around the petting zoo for a bit more as we wait for the pig races to start. I get distracted by the baby cows, causing the rest of them to stop and get distracted by the cute babies.

We soon hear that the race is about to begin, needing to rush over and find a spot to watch.  
We watch as the baby pigs race around the little track that was built for this, the four of us betting with each other on different pigs.

The pig George picked ended up being the winner, each of us rolling our eyes as we hand him five dollars. He ends up just buying us fair food with it anyways, a kind gesture after he rubbed his win in our faces.

Before we set off again, I decide to put on the hoodie Clay brought for me, the weather getting much colder as it gets later.  
I pull it over my head and hold my arms out, the hoodie too big on me so my arms don't stick out the ends.

"My merch looks great on you." Clay comments, moving behind me to wrap his arms around my shoulders.

"My merch is cooler." Nick says beside me.

"Wowww, Thrasher flames," George teases sarcastically. "So original."

"Shut up, yours is literally Supreme." Nick huffs. "You can't talk anything about original."

Clay and I laugh at them as they argue about their merch and who's is better, choosing to stay out of it.

We go on a couple of the rides they have around before getting to the carnival games, two long rows of them lined up across from each other.

Clay and I decide to separate from Nick and George, the two of us wanting to be together without making them feel like giant third wheels. He loops our arms together, keeping me close to him.

We stop in front of a balloon dart game, one where you have to throw the darts at the balloons and pop them in order to win a prize. The type of prize depends on how many you get with the eight darts you're given; two or three get you the smallest prize, four through six get you the medium prize, and seven and eight get you a large prize.

My eyes are immediately set on the largest prize; a giant brown teddy bear. I let go of Clays arm, racing up to the counter and giving my money to the carny, getting eight darts in exchange.

Clay stands behind me, watching me miss literally every single dart except one. I groan as he chuckles.

"You want that bear?" he asks, stepping beside me.

I nod in shame, glancing to my left as a little kid seriously hits more balloons than I did, getting a medium prize. _Damn, I must just suck._

Clay gets eight darts, picking one up and aiming. He glances at me. "Watch this." he says before throwing the dart, popping the balloon.

I watch, amazed as he hits seven balloons, missing only the last one by less than an inch.

"Damn it." he groans. "I always miss the last one."

I turn to him, shocked. "You hit seven though, how're you so good at this?!"

Clay chuckles, the worker asking him which color bear he wants from the large prizes. The blond points at the one I had wanted before turning to me while the carny gets it. "I've been coming here with my family every year, ever since I was little."

He takes the bear from the guy, looking at it before handing it over to me.   
I accept it, the large teddy bear comfy and fuzzy in my arms.

"Thank you." I blush, hugging the bear to me.

He smiles. "Of course, love." he leans down and kisses my lips. I'm able to feel the smile still on his lips as they're pressed against my own.

He pulls back and we start walking through the games again, my arm looped around his. "Anyways, my dad taught me how to hit em. It took me a lot of tries over a couple years before I was even able to get up to five."

He thinks back, grinning at the memory. "I remember the first time I hit more balloons than he did, it was a little competition we had every year."

"That sounds like fun." I smile, gladly listening to him happily talk about his family.   
People would probably think it's weird that I like listening to the happy stories Clay tells me about his own family, but it actually makes me feel better. It makes me happier to hear about his family, one that isn't broken and a mess like my own.

He starts to trail off on one of his stories, leading us up to the ring toss game.   
"Now this is a game I could never do." he says.

"Don't they rig this game." I mutter, looking up at the prizes. My eyes land on a giant dog stuffed animal and I get an idea.

I ignore him as he tells me to skip this game since it's not worth it. Handing him my big bear, I step forward and hand the carny my money, getting five rings. One ring is a small prize, two is a medium, and three or more is the large.

My first try doesn't go too well, and I only get one ring, which still surprised Clay. I pick a small frog stuffed animal as my small prize.  
My second try was much more successful, I get three rings, just enough for the giant dog stuffed animal.

I take the dog from the worker, thanking him before turning around and extending it out to Clay. "For you."

He smiles. "Really? You played just to win this for me?"

I nod happily, the two of us exchanging our prizes. He pulls me in for a hug, my stuffed animal squished between the two of us.

"Thank you." he smiles before the two of us head off to find Nick and George.

We end up finding them sitting down at a bench, George with a medium sized plush of a Minecraft grass block. Nick is sitting with nothing, ignoring George as the Brit shows off his prize.

I stand in front of the two of them.

"Ugh, you two got shit too?" Nick grumbles.

I nod before pulling the small frog plush I won out from behind the bear, holding it out for him. "Here, we can all have something."

Nick lights up, happily taking the stuffed animal and immediately rubbing it in George's face to make up for what George had done.

They get up and we all make our way to the big ferris wheel, the time getting late. We want to finish the night off with the grand ferris wheel, a proper way to end the day at the fair.

As we wait in line, we ask someone to take our picture in front of the ride. We all get together, George and I on the inside, Clay beside me and Nick beside George. All four of us hold our prizes close to us, smiling as the woman takes a couple pictures.

Soon it's our turn to get on, Nick and George sitting in a separate bench chair ahead of us. Clay and I get in the car after them, sitting close together with our animals sitting beside us.

We slowly get to the top, watching as the two other boys ahead of us mess around and make their seat swing.   
George records, though we can't really hear him, but we can see him point behind him at us. He waves and getting the idea, the two of us wave back.

A few moments later, our car stops at the very top.

"Whoa." I breathe, looking out across the fairgrounds, seeing all the people walking around far below us.

"Why did we stop up here?" I question, though I'm not complaining.

"I might've asked the guy to stop our car up here for a moment, actually I had to give him some money." Clay shrugs, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know it's crazy I'm even up here."

"What do you mean?" I ask, turning to him.

"I hate heights." he admits. "This is actually my first time up here, I never came up with my family."

I grab his hands. "Are you glad you did it? I mean- just look at this view." I tell him, looking out again.

"It's gorgeous alright." he agrees, though when I turn back to him he's just staring at me.

"You didn't even look, dummy." I laugh lightly.

"I don't need to, that view is way less stunning than the one in front of me."

My heartbeat quickens, a smile and blush rising on my cheeks.   
He slowly leans in again, our lips brushing before he connects them, the butterfly's coming back from the first time he kissed me like this, just last night.

I sigh, letting him deepen the kiss as he brings his hand up to cup my face.  
Suddenly, I feel his tongue swipe across my lips, asking to be let in.

Before I can accept, there's cheering from in front of us, Nick and George clapping wildly.

"Wooo!" Nick shouts. "I'll actually be able to remember this one!"

"I got a picture this time!" George yells, him and Nick looking down at the photo.

Clay and I pull apart, resting our foreheads together as we both catch our breath, stupid smiles on our faces, ignoring George and Nick. The tingling sensation still lingering on my lips, my mind in complete bliss anytime I'm with Clay.

The nice woman that took our picture earlier clapping behind us with her husband, causing both of our faces to turn red in embarrassment.

The ferris wheel starts again, bringing us down to the bottom.

I yawn, tiredly leaning against Clay as we walk hand in hand through the grounds, towards the exit and to our car.

We all pile in the car, Nick driving with George in the passenger seat. Clay and I sit in the back, the two of us lying together.

We both fall asleep on the drive back home. I'm lying on his shoulder, my arms wrapped around one of his, and his head lying on top of my head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is honestly one of the top cutest chapters i wrote , in my opinion


	18. Mf Spilled the Damn Beans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mk this is one of the smut chapters - just an fyi , this is also the longest chapter i wrote so enjoy

_We both fall asleep on the drive back home. I'm lying on his shoulder, my arms wrapped around one of his, and his head lying on top of my head._

______________________

"Good morning, Y/n." Nick grins from the kitchen as I get to the bottom of the stairs.

"Morning." I mumble, stretching my arms as I walk.

"Where's Clay?" he asks, messing with something on the stove, steam rising in front of him.

I yawn, rubbing my eyes tiredly. "Still in bed." I tell him before looking at him questioningly. "Why?"

"I thought you two were suddenly attached at the hip." he shrugs, stepping away from the pan on the stove to lean against the counter. "I would've thought he'd be coming down here with you."

I take a seat at the counter in front of Nick, leaning my head against my hand.   
He's right, I have been clinging to Clay recently, more than usual. What if he doesn't really like it and wants me to stop, but he doesn't know how to tell me.

I sigh, putting my head down on the counter. "I should back up, huh. Not be so clingy."

"Oh no, there's nothing wrong with what you're doing." Nick assures me. "He's doing the same thing with you, so I know he's not bothered by it."

"Well are _you_ bothered with it?" I ask, not wanting Nick to be uncomfortable whenever he's around us.

The brunette shakes his head. "No, of course not. Clay is happy with you, and I know you're happy with him."

I nod slightly, smiling just at the thought of the blond.

"And if you two are happy, then so are George and I." Nick finishes. "The two of us just wanna look out for our friend, and we can tell he's doing great."

"Okay," I say in relief, smiling at him. "I'm just glad you two aren't uncomfortable."

Nick laughs. "As long as George and I get our bro, we're good."

I laugh with him for a moment before looking past him towards what he's making on the stove.   
"What is that?" I ask, pointing at it while also noticing a bunch of extra ingredients lying around the counter, things he's already made like scrambled eggs and hash browns.

"It's bacon," he says, pointing at one side of the pan. "and sausage." he points to the other side, using the same pan to cook both at the same time.

"Well I can see that." I comment, laughing lightly.

I watch him as he scoops the sausage, then bacon out of the pan with a spatula, sliding them onto a plate.

He glances up at me while grabbing a tortilla, lying it flat on a separate plate. "You came down just in time for breakfast you know."

"What can I say," I shrug, "I just know these things."

He chuckles, putting the bacon and sausage on the tortilla along with of the scrambled eggs and hash browns. I watch as he folds the tortilla up before rolling it all together.  
"Ta-da." he smiles, looking down at the perfect breakfast burrito he made.

He slides it in front of me, motioning for me to try it.

I pick it up and take a bite, my eyebrows raising as I taste how good it actually is.   
I look up at him, putting a finger up as I chewing the food in my mouth, before responding. "Nick, this is good."

"Well, I actually know how to cook." he teases, not bothering to look up at me while he makes more breakfast burritos.

I shake my head, sticking my tongue out at him while he's not looking.

"What is that smell?" George's voice suddenly asks from the bottom of the stairs, causing me to spin around.

I smile and wave at him,the two of us exchanging good mornings.  
He takes a seat to my right, Nick sliding a plate across the counter to him as he does so.

As Nick makes the last two, George starts eating.

Nick lifts his eyes up to glance at George, expecting him to say something about what he's eating.

George stops chewing, looking up at Nick questioningly. "What do you want?"

"How is it?" The brunette asks.

The Brit shrugs. "It's not bad. A little plain though."

Nick huffs, rolling his eyes before focusing back on his and Clays meal. He mumbles something, but the two of us on the other side of the counter are unable to hear it.

"What was that?" George speaks up, daring him to say it louder.

"I said at least I can cook!" he shoots. "Y/n can only make toast or soup, and you burn sausages! How the hell do you burn sausages?!"

I lift my index finger and open my mouth to protest before closing it, figuring he's pretty much right. _Except_ for my bombass french toast, I'll always stand by that.   
I shrug, putting my hand down and taking another bite of my food, watching the two bicker.

"It was the pan I used!" George says as his excuse.

"Oh what? Did it get _too_ hot?" Nick rolls his eyes.

George puts down the burrito, crossing his arms stubbornly. "You know what? I take back the compliment I gave to you about the meal."

"That's fine!" Nick exclaims. "I don't need your opinion anyways, Y/n's was good enough."

My eyes go back and forth between George and Nick, taking small bites of my burrito as they go off.

It gets silent for a moment before George mutters, "I'm not gonna eat it."

"You _would_ say that."

The Brit ignores him, his eyes wandering around the house, acting as if no one is talking to him.

I grin. "Don't be a loser, George. Just eat it."

"Not hungry."

"Yeah you are."

"No."

"Mmhm." I hum, choosing to take another bite of my own.

He looks at me from the corner of his eye, sighing as he gives into his hunger. "Fine. But not because I think it's good. I'm just hungry."

"You're still eating it, so I win." Nick smiles.

"I didn't know this was a competition." George mumbles.

"Everything's a competition."

Nick's eyes suddenly flick up, looking at something behind George and I.

Before I can turn around, two arms wrap around me from behind, hugging me tightly. Once his grip loosens, he lazily leans against me, his head resting against my own on my right.

I smile, turning my head to face him before quickly kissing his cheek. "Hi, Clay."

The other two tell him good morning as he tiredly goes to sit in the chair on the other side of George.

"Why are you so tired?" Nick asks Clay, giving the blond his own plate of food.

"I don't know, just give me a couple more minutes to wake up." Clay mumbles, his head resting against his hand.

After a few minutes, Clay perks up just like he said he would, seemingly not tired at all.

We all finish our breakfast, everyone, including George, thanking Nick for the food.

"We could get ready and leave for the beach by 10." Clay says as we all get up from the counter. "It's about an hour drive, and I don't wanna be out there late."

"Sounds good." Nick says, giving us a thumbs up before walking into the room he's using, shutting the door behind him.

The rest of us do the same, heading upstairs to get ready.

__________

"Can you just pick a parking spot?" Nick grumbles from the backseat, already unbuckled and leaning up between the two front seats.

"Calm down, calm down." Clay tells him. "And sit down, I can't see out the back."

Nick over dramatically sits back as Clay picks a spot and parks, everyone getting out of the car.

"Let's do the pier first." I say, looking down the beach a little ways at the long walkway reaching out towards the sea.

"Sounds good." George agrees, the other two nodding their heads. "We can find a spot to chill on the beach after."

As we begin walking across the boardwalk, Clay grabs my hand, intertwining his with mine. I smile, turning and looking at him as he talks to the other two boys, the small act warming my heart.

I listen to them talk the whole way, their conversation topics bouncing around so many times I could barely keep track.

"Ugh, Finally!" Nick groans as we step onto the pier. "You just _had_ to park miles away!"

Clay furrows his brows. "Nick, you were the one that told me to 'just pick a parking spot already', so you're to blame."

The brunette rolls his eyes. "Well I didn't know we'd be walking all the way to the pier."

"Yet here we are!" I smile, looking down the stretch of wooden pathway.

"Oh, which reminds me." George says, suddenly taking his phone out of his pocket.   
"Unlink you two." he motions towards mine and Clays hands, smirking as we slowly let go. "Unless you two wanted to continue holding hands?"

"George, you know we don't want it public." Clay laughs lightly, shaking his head.

"This looks pretty public to me." Nick comments, looking around at all the people walking past us.

"You know what he meant, no smartass comments." I tell Nick.

"Yeah, yeah." George waves his hand, picking up his phone to start recording. "We get it, nothing public."

Clay and I respond, one right after the other.  
"Good."  
"Thank you."

We let George do the talking once again, the three of us walking ahead of him since he's walking too slow.

I turn around. "George! Hurry up, we wanna do shit!"

He quickly tells the camera something before putting it down and rushing up to us.

"Finally." Clay sighs, reaching back out for my hand.

"Uh-uh." George shakes his head, slapping the blond's hand away from mine. "I'm still going to record."

Clay throws his head back and rolls his eyes, groaning over dramatically. "Fine."

"And don't look like such a pissbaby in front of the camera." Nick adds. "You're not supposed to be upset about not holding her hand."

Clay huffs, letting out a long breath before changing his attitude. I do the same, not showing that I'm bummed about not holding his hand too.

We walk down the pier, stopping and looking at the little shops along the way, before finally making it to the very end.

I step up onto the small ledge before the wooden railing, leaning against it and looking out into the ocean. Clay and George step up to my right, Nick to my left.

Nick messes around and leans far over the railing, looking down at the water crashing against the pillars holding the pier up.

"Nick be careful." I caution, lightly grabbing onto the back of his shirt to keep him pulled back.

"I'm fine." he dismisses, leaning back a little bit.

I sigh shaking my head and letting go of him, leaning back on the railing again.

Suddenly, Clay excitedly points out towards the sea. "Look! There's dolphins!"

The rest of us quickly turn to where he's pointing, seeing maybe four or five dolphins swimming around at the top of the water.

I grin, watching them as they swim around each other, eventually getting too far to see.

"They were so cute." I smile, stepping down from the small ledge at the bottom of the railing.  
The other three do the same.

We ask for our picture to be taken before we begin walking back down the pier, taking our time and looking around. Clay intertwines our hands again, our fingers lacing together before his grip tightens.

I hear Nick begin sniffling behind us. Turning my head, I watch him wipe fake tears from his eyes, pretending to be emotional.

"Please George," Nick fake cries, dramatically leaning against the Brit, reaching for his hand. "hold my hand like that."

"W-what?!" George exclaims, pulling away from Nick. "Dude! No, get off me!"

"Just hold my hand!" Nick begs, reaching back out for him. "Let's upstage them."

"No!"

Clay and I laugh as the two run around us, Nick chasing after George in attempt to grab and hold his hand. I suddenly feel like parents as our kids embarrassingly chase each other around in public.

We continue walking, even as the other boys mess around behind us, their bickering loud enough for us to hear.

I choose to ignore them though, taking this time to just relax and enjoy my time with Clay.  
I smile, looking down at our hands as they swing slightly between us before looking up at the blond. He keeps his eyes straight ahead, a giant smile on his face as he hums something to himself.

"What are you humming?" I ask curiously, unable to figure it out myself.

He turns his head slightly, glancing at me for a quick moment before looking back ahead. "Ah, nothing. It's just a random tune."

I look back ahead of us too. "I like it."

He tilts his head slightly, actually looking at me this time. "Huh? But it's not even a real song."

I giggle, pulling my hand from his to instead wrap it around his arm, holding on tight. "Well- I just.." my sentence dies off as a slight blush spreads across my cheeks.   
"I like listening to you hum." I mumble. "It's soothing."

It's his turn to blush at my comment. He reaches up and lightly scratches the back of his neck. "I'm glad."

It's silent after that, George and Nicks arguing can't even be heard, meaning they must've stopped.   
I still walk close to Clay, my arms wrapped around one of his.

"Let's get ice cream." George suddenly says, putting a hand on each of our shoulders, causing me to jump slightly. He uses one hand to point at the small ice cream stand before him and Nick start making their way towards it, Clay and I following behind.

We order and the man behind the counter gets our scoops for us, everyone choosing to get a cone instead of a cup.

"Clay, you're so basic." Nick comments, eyeing the blond's ice cream. "Vanilla?"

Clay rolls his eyes. "Says the one with chocolate."

"Rocky road, actually." the brunette corrects him. "It's not _just_ chocolate."

I reach over the counter to grab my cone, the ice cream already beginning to melt and drip down the sides of the cone.

"Y/n is somewhat basic, but not quite there." Nick continues to judge us, basing it off the type of flavor we pick.  
His gaze then goes to George, the flavor he picked being mint and chip. "George thinks he's cool and different by picking that flavor, but honestly, that's such a common one too."

George frowns. "I don't think I'm different for picking it."

"And I think mint and chip is good too." I smile.

"Whatever!" Nick huffs, turning around stubbornly and muttering something to me. "Your ice cream is about to drip all down your hand."

"Ah!" I quickly lick the trail of ice cream away before it can reach my hand, not wanting to get all messy.

I freeze as I look up and lock eyes with Clay, his eyes widening slightly as he watches me.  
Since Nick and George are too busy talking about "what your favorite ice cream flavor says about you", I decide to tease Clay a bit.

I smirk, eyeing him as I slowly drag my tongue up the cone. I get past the cone and to the ice cream, licking that before putting my tongue back in my mouth, still smirking at Clay.   
I notice his cheeks get red, and his eyes widen just a bit more before he turns to George and Nick, breaking our eye contact.

I quietly laugh to myself, running my hand through my hair. _Dude- what the fuck did I just do? And why did I do it?_

I finish my ice cream on the way back to the car to pick up our stuff; towels, a spare change of clothes, and whatever else we need for the day, inside our backpacks.

Clay also grabs a beach umbrella he'd loaded into his car, slinging the strap to carry it over his shoulder before we make our way down towards the water.

I take my sandals off after stepping off the concrete, the warm sand covering my toes.   
I race George down the beach and to the water, Nick and Clay choosing to take their time.

Getting to a good spot to set up that's not close to other people, I stop.  
I turn to tell George I won, but he races past me, slipping his bag off his shoulders and throwing it down beside me before running straight into the water.

"I win!" he cheers, turning around to face me, standing only knee deep in the clear water. He points a me, grinning proudly. "You lost!"

"What?!" I exclaim, setting my bag down in the sand. "I got to our spot first!"

"It was a race to the water, duh." he rolls his eyes, acting as if that was obvious.

I huff, quickly taking my t-shirt and shorts off, leaving me in a black and white plaid triangle top and bikini bottoms.  
I run up to George in the water, reaching my hands out to push him down into the water.

He puts his hands out to try and stop me. "Y/n, no! I still have my-"

He gets cut off when I overpower him and push him over, his whole body splashing under the salt water.

He quickly stands back up, wiping his eyes before glaring up at me, finishing his sentence. "Shirt on..."

I smirk victoriously at him, his hair now completely wet, causing it to stick down to the sides of his face, a look different from his usually fluffy brown hair.

"You two are quick." Clay says as him and Nick walk down towards us, their stuff already set down by ours.

I turn my back to George after hearing the other two's voices, smiling at them before I'm suddenly yanked backwards and down into the water.

I gasp as I stand up, wiping my eyes and pushing my now wet hair back. "You stupid Brit!"

The three of them laugh, Clay's laughter quickly dying off as I glare at him.  
George put his now drenched shirt up by our stuff on the sand before we all mess around in the water, jumping over waves or trying to body surf them back towards the beach.

At one point the fun was ruined for me when a wave unexpectedly knocks me over. I wasn't expecting it so I did end up swallowing too much salt water.

When I get back up to my feet, I hunch over, hands on my knees as I cough up water.

"Y/n!" Clay exclaims, quickly rushing to my side. He puts his hand on my back, gently patting to help me out. "Are you okay?"

I side eye him, a miserable look on my face. "I swallowed about a gallon of salt water just now."

"Oh, right. Yeah, I wouldn't imagine that's the best."

"You think so?"

I clear my throat, standing up straight and glancing at the other three as they worriedly stare at me. "I think I'm done. You guys have fun, I'll just chill up on the beach."

"Are you sure?" Clay asks, grasping my wrist and stepping after me. "I can sit with you so you're not alone."

I shake my head, smiling at his kind gesture. "It's okay blondie. Hang with your bros, I'll be good."

He grins back at me, pulling me towards him by my arm. He pecks my cheek before letting me go, turning around himself to splash water at the other two.

I make my way back to our little set up, grabbing my phone and setting up a towel in the shade of the umbrella Clay had already set up.

I lie on my back, switching between apps to scroll through.   
It's been ten minutes and I'm still scrolling through all of our Twitter accounts, reading through random comments fans are posting about either all of us, or just certain ones.

I notice a lot of people are talking about the vlog we promised, or hoping one of us will stream soon.  
 _Maybe one of us should stream, we could all play a game together too._

I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Clay as he puts his sandy foot on my stomach, grinning down at me.

"Get your foot away from me." I tell him, smacking his foot away and brushing the sand off my stomach.  
"Where are the other two? You don't have to constantly entertain me." I ask him, sitting up as he sits on the towel beside me.

"They found a dumb crab." he mutters, rolling his eyes. "I thought we were adults, but they wanna poke around a crab. I didn't want to."

"That sounds fun. I might go join them." I tease him, pretending to get up.

"Nope." he states, quickly reaching up to grab my waist, pulling me down. He turns me around to face him and sits me on top of his thighs, his legs out straight.

My eyes widen and I blush madly. "Clay.." I mumble, his hands on my hips and mine on his shoulders as I look away, our position awfully mature for the beach.

"What's wrong?" he asks innocently, but I can hear the smirk in his voice. "Are you embarrassed?"

I look up at him, the blush still evident on my face. "Of course I am." I tell him.

He chuckles, reaching up to cup my face with his hands. "You're cute when you're blushing."

"Clay..." I sigh unable to hold back my smile as I look at his happy grin. "Let's not sit like this right now, yeah?"

"Okay, okay." he agrees, turning me around and letting me sit between his legs, leaning back against his chest as I watch Nick and George poke at the crab in the distance, too focused to have noticed us.

I take my phone out and decide to record them just as Nick suddenly shouts, jumping back and shaking his hand around. George gets up and hurriedly looks down at the texans finger.

The Brit pokes it, causing Nick to pull his hand away from George, glaring at him before turning to Clay and I. He waves his hand off, making his way up to us.

I stop recording before Nick reaches us, glancing curiously from his hand to his face.

"I wanna go home." he mumbles, no longer having fun. "That little bitch pinched me."  
He turns his finger towards us, showing his bleeding wound.

"Alright." Clay sighs, motioning for me to get up so we can pack up and leave.

I get up and we all pack our stuff up before making our way back to the car.  
I run off to the bathrooms to change out of my wet swimsuit and into something more comfortable.

When I get back, Nicks finger is already bandaged and Clay already had the car running.  
We stop and get food on the way home, everyone deciding on McDonalds.

We get home at around three, all of us dropping our stuff off at the door before lying on the couch.

"This week has been really fun you guys." George sighs happily, lying on his back longways across the couch.

"I'm definitely glad I got to meet and hang out with you three." I smile, turn over to face Clay, the blond lying beside me. "And I'm glad I have you now."

"Everyone's glad to have me in their life." Clay shrugs, propping himself up to look over me to George and Nick.

"There's a heartbeat in my finger." Nick randomly responds, not having listened to a word Clay just said. He lazily lifts his hand in the air to show off his bandaged finger, staring at it as if it'll disappear if he takes his eyes off of it.

"I told you not to touch the crab." George mutters.

Nick rolls his eyes. "You touched it too dummy."

"At least I wasn't pinched."

"You should've told the crab you were friends with Georgenotfound." I comment, grinning at myself.

"Haha," Nick says sarcastically. "You're just sooo funny."

"I really am." I nod.

"Guys," Clay suddenly says, getting out attention as he looks down at his phone. "Tommy is asking if the four of us wanna play Among Us."

He glances up at us while I peek at his phone, reading the message Tommy sent over Discord.  
 _Come play Among Us with us or else._

I chuckle to myself before nodding up at Clay. "That'll be fun."

"Yeah let's play." George agrees, grunting as his sits up. "Nick and I can play on our phones, and we'll all go in separate rooms."

"Sounds good," Clay says, getting up. "I'll message Tommy. Oh, and you guys have headphone's use on the Discord call right?"

"Yeah." George nods.

"No." Nick mutters. "I left my house in such a rush. I almost missed my flight!"

"It's fine." the blond chuckles, heading upstairs. "Come up here and I'll let you borrow some of mine."

I head up to my room after them, George staying out on the couch to play.

"Good luck." I grin, passing Nick in the hall as he walks from Clay's room. I don't give him a chance to respond as I shut my door, hoping to make him uneasy with my comment.

I sigh in content as I put my headphones on, letting my computer start up before I join the Discord vc, Tommy, Dream, Wilbur, Quackity, and Karl already on.

"Who's gonna be streaming?" I ask while we wait for the others to join; Sapnap, George, Nikki, and Tubbo.

"Me, and I'm pretty sure a couple others too." Tommy responds. "I think Tubbo, Nikki, Quackity, and Wilbur will. Maybe Karl."

"Yeah I'm streaming." Karl replies.

"I'll be streaming." Clay says, surprising me.

"Really?" I question. "That'll be good, just be careful with what you say."

"Psh, I can say the same to you." he huffs, and knowing him, I can tell he rolled his eyes.

"What are we missing here?" Wilbur interjects.

I hesitate, not wanting to say the wrong thing. And I don't know these guys too well, so I don't know if I can trust them with a secret like this. I'll just let Clay handle it, if he tells them, then they're trustworthy, if he lies about it then I guess they aren't.

"Oh, yeah." Clay nervously chuckles. "This doesn't go public got it? But Y/n and I are dating."

"OH!" Quackity shouts, the rest of them shouting right after too.

I wince, the volume of all of them combined hurting my ears. I notice George and Nick join and I immediately feel bad for them.

"What the hell is going on?" Nick manages to ask as they die down.

"Y/n, I barely know you but congratulations!" Karl exclaims. "Dream you too, I'm sure you guys are perfect together!"

I smile. "Thank you Karl, your so sweet."

"Question for you Y/n." Tommy says.

"Yeah?"

"What drew you into Dream? What made you think, ah this is a good one to pick."

I furrow my brows. "What kind of question is that?"

"A good one, that's what it is." Quackity quickly interrupts. "Now answer the question."

"Go on Y/n," Clay urges, a smirk plastered on his face. "I wanna hear what made you so attracted to me."

"I- I don't know." I answer honestly. "It was just you- all of you. You really know how to light up a room."

"Bleh- okay forget I asked. I just wanted the juicy Dream details." Tommy fake barfs. "Not a love confession."

"Where are the others? I wanna play." George complains.

Tommy sends a message in the chat, and soon enough they all join.   
We fill the missing people in before whoever's streaming starts.

"Oh, and you guys can just use my real name now?" I tell them.   
In all honesty I've learned I like hearing it be said, and I don't mind my fans knowing that about me anymore.

"Oh my God, I'm so glad you said that." Nick sighs. "I would at some point call you Y/n and expose your ass on accident."

I laugh. "Yeah, I figured it'd be easier, especially for the three of you that've been using it."

Once everyone starts their streams, we begin, everyone muting as the game starts.   
I groan to myself as the crewmate job appears on my screen.

I decide against heading to electrical first, hoping I won't be killed off at the very beginning. Instead I head off to do my tasks in navigation.

I hum to myself, watching as the download bar starts filling up. When it's halfway done, I see Dream's lime green character run in. He quickly rushes up to me and kills me, venting away before anyone can walk in and call him out.

I sit in front of my screen with my mouth open in shock, my ghost floating in front of the download tablet.  
I breathe out as Tubbo finds my body. _I swear, if I'm the first and only one dead-_

All the characters pop up for a meeting, and the only crossed out character is mine

"Oh my God." I grumble, lying my head down on the table. This is going to be so boring, I'm not even allowed to talk.

Everyone unmutes, Clay being the first to speak. "Who killed Y/n first?!"

I blink, a blank expression on my face. This man did not just pull that.

The others begin talking, the questions and accusations rolling in, literally no one calling sus on Dream.

After another round, I find out the other imposter is George, after watching him kill Tommy on medbay scan. The young Brit immediately coming to the dead chat and cussing George out, though George can't see it.

The round ends with the imposters winning, Clay having to finish the game off once George was voted out after Nikki's death.

We all unmute, Clay cheering for himself loudly.

"Dream, I can't believe you did me like that." I say, sounding hurt. "I was killed off within the first minute."

"I knew it was Dream!" Nick exclaims. "I knew it from the moment Y/n died! But did you guys believe me? No."

"You have to have a better reason than, 'He's kinda sus not gonna lie'." Wilbur tells him.

The next round was George again with Tommy, the imposters getting the win once again. Except this time George had to do everything himself, after Tommy was eliminated in the very first round, having gotten caught killing Karl.

"I popped off!" George cheers. "None of you thought it was me."

"I did." I mutter, having called him out but no one listened.

"That's why I killed you the next round." George says. "You knew too much."

After many more games, the wins switching between the imposters and the crewmates, we start our last one, the time having flew by.   
I pray that I'm imposter, having only got it two or three times out of all the games we played. And my prayers are answered as the red text pops up at the top, the spotlight revealing my character before zooming out and showing Dream is my partner.   
Ah hell yeah.

We work together the whole time, seemingly knowing what the other is planning without even talking with each other.  
We manage to successfully do a double kill on George and Sapnap. I laugh as we quickly jump in the vents, getting away from the two and going to find someone so that we can have an alibi.

Tommy finds the two bodies, reporting it and immediately calling sus on Dream and Karl, not even using an explanation.

Dream manages to turn the tables on Tommy, getting everyone to vote the younger boy out instead of himself.

Clay and I end the game off with yet another double kill on Wilbur and Quackity.

The others turn their mics on and groan in defeat, Dream and I cheering loudly, bragging about our flawless victory.

"EAT THAT GUYS!" Clay exclaims, getting too careless with his next sentence. "WE'RE THE POWER COUPLE HERE!"

My mouth falls open, my breath leaving my lungs and my chest tightening as I panic slightly. Everyone else is silent for a moment, registering what Clay had just said. Even the blond is quiet as he realizes his big slip up.

"I- uh, we just did really good together- I didn't mean like that, chat- I meant as in a couple of imposters." he stutters, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest as he tries to fix everything. "Not a couple as in-"

"Clay.." I say, my voice low and somewhat steady. "It's fine."  
I can tell how horrible he feels and how desperately he's trying to cover it up with lies. I made sure to keep myself calm as I spoke, not wanting him to hear the actual worry in my voice. We can't both panic here, so I'll be the calm one.

Everyone else was silent before, but thankfully Tommy begins his usual shouting, telling his stream that this is the end and that he'll be back on tomorrow.  
The others do the same, quickly ending their streams.

No one leaves the vc, the others not knowing what to say. I anxiously bounce my leg, the silence killing me.

"So uh," Tubbo starts, breaking the silence. "It'll be fine guys, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, everyone will be excited about it." Nikki cheerfully adds, her voice quieting at the end.

A couple others hum in agreement.

"I'm gonna go." Clay mutters quietly before leaving the call.

I do the same, saying a quick goodbye before closing out of Discord and Among us. I sit in my chair, staring blankly at my screen before making a decision I probably shouldn't.

I open my browser and go to twitter, hesitating before signing in. My heart clenches in my chest as I see the amount of notifications in my messages.

I slowly slide my cursor to my inbox, taking a deep breath as I click on the tab.   
My breath catches in my throat at the sight of all the messages, more coming in as Twitter reloads.

I do see a lot of kind and supportive messages, but the ones that stand out the most are negative and harsh.   
I stare at the message previews, unable to tear my eyes away from the screen.

_You and your slutty ass needs to leave_   
_Why don't you just fuck off and leave Dream and George alone, you're ruining everything_   
_You should just end yourself bitch_   
_I bet your not even pretty enough to be with him_   
_Looking at your account, I can tell your personality is ugly and so are you_   
_You can never make him happy, just leave_

I shakily scroll down, it only happened moments ago and I already have so much hate. Why am I even reading through these?

I hear two pairs of footsteps running up the stairs, one rushing past my door to Clay's room, but the other stopping in front of my room.  
Someone opens my door, freezing in the doorway as their eyes go from me to the screen I'm looking at.

I feel tears build up at my eyes as he breaks the silence, his British voice soft and comforting. "Y/n..."

I turn my head to face George, the tears that were building up silently sliding down my face.  
"George..." I choke out, my chest heaving as I try my best to hold back my tears.

He walks up to me, crouching down in front of me and taking my cold hands into his warmer ones. He looks up at me, a sad smile on his face.  
His eyes flick to my screen for a moment, only needing to read a couple of the most recent messages before he sighs.

George stands up, keeping my hand in one of his as he leans over me to close out the tab, turning the computer off after.

I look down at our hands, not wanting him to see me cry. He stands back up before leading me towards my bed, both of us sitting on the edge.

"Everything is going to be okay Y/n." he tells me.

My hands grip onto his tighter after those words. I've heard them before, those exact words. It's what Clay said to me after taking me away from Dylan.   
Those words he spoke to me meant so much, because after all those years I spent alone, someone finally showed they cared. Someone helped me, even though at the time they'd get nothing in return, he didn't even want anything in return.

Hearing George say those exact words put me a bit at ease. When Clay had said everything would be okay, he meant it, and he showed me how true that was. He made everything okay for me.

Now put into another difficult situation, George helps me, letting me know that everything will end up okay. And I trust him.

More tears fall down my cheeks as I let them flow freely, not caring what George will think.  
I let my head fall onto his shoulder, my body shaking as I cry quietly.

He lets go of my hands to gently wrap his arms around me, letting me keep my head on his shoulder as he pulls me closer to him. Not knowing what to do with my hands, I reach out and grab onto the sides of his shirt tightly, my grip most likely causing wrinkles on the sides.

His comfort feels nice and secure, something I'm in need of.  
My mind suddenly clicks to Clay and what he has to be feeling right now. I could hear something in his voice just before he left the Discord call, was that sadness and guilt?

"Clay.." I mutter, pulling away from George. I sniff, wiping my eyes. "I just need to be with him."

"Of course." George nods, looking into my eyes. "Are you okay first?"

I nod, smiling sadly. "Thank you George.

He gets up with me, letting me take deep breaths to calm myself down before walking with me towards Clays room.

"Nick is with him right now." he tells me, putting his hand on my back. "I'll go get Nick so you two can be alone for a bit."

George slowly enters Clays room, coming out with Nick moments later.

"He barely talked to me." Nick says sadly. "He feels horrible."

"Thank you both," I tell them, pulling them into a small and weak hug. "I don't know what we'd do without you. I'm glad you two are his closest friends."

Nick smiles as we pull away, putting his hand on my shoulder. "We'd do anything for Clay, and you too now."

I nod in thanks before approaching Clays door, the other two going downstairs.  
I slowly open his door, my heart clenching in my chest at the sight of him sitting at his desk, his head in his hands.

I walk to his bed, taking a seat. We stay in silence for a moment, it's only broken when I hear Clay hiccup, his shoulders shaking.

"Hey," I say gently, reaching out.

"I'm so sorry." he sniffs, holding back his cries. "It's my fault they know. I fucked up and now they'll attack you just because we're together. It's all my fault."

"Clay, do not blame yourself." I say sternly yet softly. "You were excited and it slipped out. It'll be fine."

Maybe if I just don't mention the messages that are already coming in, he'll start to feel better. In the end, it's my fault he feels this way, if he'd never met me, he wouldn't be like this. I'm the guilty one.

"Did you get any?" he mumbles, his head still in his hands.

"A-any what?" I say, pretending I don't know what he's talking about.

He huffs. "Please don't act dumb, you know what I'm talking about."

I sigh, deciding it'll be better to tell him the truth. "Yeah, a lot already."

His head slumps down onto the table, his arms cushioning his head. "I'm so sorry, if I wasn't so careless."

"Stop it." I tell him sternly. "Stop blaming yourself for this-" halfway through, my voice cracks and tears well up in my eyes again. "Everything is my fault."

He quickly lifts his head from his arms, turning to face me. His blond hair falling in front of his eyes, which are red from crying. "What are you talking about? If I hadn't messed up then we wouldn't be in this situation."

I guiltily look down at my hands in my lap. "If you hadn't met me, you wouldn't have had to worry about anything."

"Y/n, if I hadn't done what I did that day, I wouldn't have met the love of my life." he tells me, his voice completely serious.

My eyes widen and I look up. "The love of your life?"

He switches from his chair to the spot beside me. With one hand, he grasps my hand, and he uses the other to cup my face, his thumb gently brushing across my cheek.

He smiles gently. "I love you Y/n." he confesses. "I'm so utterly and completely in love with you. I don't care what any of those messages say, I need you and I'm so unbelievably happy when I'm with you."

I bring my hand to my mouth, completely speechless. Tears flow freely down my face, for a different reason now.

He leans in, our foreheads resting together.

I close my eyes and smile. "I'd be lost without you. I love you so much, Clay."

He connects our lips for a gentle and loving kiss, our lips moving together before he pulls away from me.

"Let me fix this, please." he says.

I nod my head, trusting anything he plans on doing.

He pecks my cheek, reaching and grabbing his phone off his desk.   
I lean against his arm, choosing to close my eyes instead of watch him as he types on Twitter. He takes a few minutes before he finishes his thread of tweets.

I open my eyes as he turns the screen towards me, letting me read the thread.

 **Dream** @:Dream  
I wish I didn't even have to come on here and say this for the reason that this whole thing was supposed to be kept secret, but because I slipped up, I need to address some things. First off, I want you guys to know how happy I am with Y/n,  
|  
looking at the messages on my own account, not even on hers yet, I'm disgusted. I'm so disappointed and angry with all of you who've messaged us and sent nothing but hate. It's sad to see that you can't respect our happiness and instead choose to hate over love and accept.  
|  
your messages saying that Y/n is ruining the relationship between George and I, or that she can't make me happy are so unbelievably false and won't change a thing about our relationship. you guys need to learn respect and leave us alone, stop with all the messages right now.  
|  
to everyone that has been very kind and left positive messages, thank you from both of us. This message wasn't to all of you, just to my few toxic stans out of millions of good. I'm happy, she's happy. deal with it, and stop messaging us because that won't change anything about us.

Clay glances at me. "How does it look? I know it's not perfect but I just want to get something out there."

I smile weakly, rubbing the stray tears away. "It's good. I'm glad you talked about it."

He puts his phone down on the bed beside us. "Hopefully the messages will stop sooner." the blond wraps his arms around my body, pulling me down to lie with him. "I really am happy with you."

I turn on my side, wrapping my arms around Clay and resting my head against his chest. "I'm very happy too." I mutter, closing my eyes.

We lie on the bed for a couple moments enjoying each other presence. I listen to Clays heartbeat, my ear against his chest. This is the calming moment and embrace I needed.

After a little while we walk downstairs, my hand tightly gripping Clays.   
George and Nick smile up at us, seemingly happy about something, which is odd because of everything that's just happened.

"Why are you two smiling like that?" Clay questions suspiciously. "What did you guys do?"

"Check Twitter." George grins.

Clay glances at me for a quick moment. "I don't think Y/n should get on Twitter now."

Nick shakes his head. "No, but you should, then show her when you find it."

Clay raises a brow. "Find what?"

"You'll know when you see it." George responds.

The blond sighs, pulling out his phone. I watch him scroll through Twitter for a moment before he stops, his expression changing as he reads something.

I look over his shoulder as he tilts the phone my way a bit. I see a post from George with a longish message below it, then a tweet from Nick, also followed by a long message. Clay keeps going, seeing messages from all of his other friends, everyone defending and congratulating the two of us. They all talk about fans needing to be supportive and kind.

"You all did this?" I ask as Clay skims through a lot, seeing tweets from Tubbo, Eret, Wilbur, Nikki, Karl, even Tommy, and some others.

Nick nods. "We posted ours first then everyone else seemed to understand what we were doing."

"They wanted to help you two, but also call out toxic behaviors." George adds.

I smile. "You guys are all too much. I barely even know half of these people."

"You guys really are all amazing." Clay laughs lightly, happily looking at his two friends. "I couldn't have asked for better friends."

The two stand up, Nick and George pulling Clay and I into a comfortable group hug.

"What'd I say," George chuckles. "they really do ship Clay and I together."

I scoff, thinking back to the message previews I saw. A lot of them starting off with the idea that I'm stealing Clay from George. "I saw that."

After a couple minutes, we realize it's getting pretty late and we still haven't eaten. Clay suggest a really good chinese place that does take out, but it's about twenty minutes away.

Nick offers to drive and George decides to go with him, leaving Clay and I alone. Clay also told them to get a party dish, something we can all share.

"I'll be back." I mumble to Clay, the two of us sitting on the couch.

I get up out of his arms, quickly heading upstairs and into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I can't get those messages out of my head. Would Clay really be better off without me? Am I causing him too much worry?

I lean against the counter, eventually splashing water onto my face.

All this is my fault, and the guilt is eating away at me. How could I put him into a situation like this?

I look up into the mirror, staring into my own eyes. I gently reach up to touch my face. Am I pretty enough for him?

I hear the door click open behind me, but I don't turn around. A second later, Clays arms wrap around me from behind, his head resting in the crook of my neck.

He looks up at me in the mirror. "You're so beautiful." he mumbles, kissing my neck.

His lips trail down to my shoulder as he pushes the neck of my shirt to the side with one hand, his other on my hip, teasing with the hem of my shirt.

I let out a breath once his lips attach to my neck again. I reach for the bottom of my shirt to lift it, but he stops me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks, his breath hot against my neck.

I nod, pushing past the slight nervousness in my stomach. But there is one thing I'm worrying about. "What about George and Nick?"

"There'll be enough time," he answers. "they're going far, and the food will take a bit to be ready."

I turn around, smirking. "It almost seems like you were hoping this would happen."

He grins down at me. "Maybe. I just want to show you how much I love you."

"Well then," I say, wrapping my arms around his neck. "why don't you show me blondie?"

He smashes his lips to mine, grabbing the back of my thighs and signaling for me to jump.  
Once I do, I wrap my legs around his waist, our lips staying connected.

He carries me back into his room, breaking the kiss to lie me down on the bed. I use my elbows to prop myself up, my legs hanging off the bed.

Clay uses his knee to push my legs apart, his hand cupping my face. He puts his knee on the bed between my thighs for support as he leans in once again.

Unlike all the other times he's kissed me, this one is rough. I match his pace as his tongue swipes across my lips, asking to be let in.

As soon as I accept, he pushes in to explore my mouth, our tongue's colliding for a moment before he gains dominance.

He pushes me down into the mattress completely, his body hovering over mine.

He pulls away, panting as he catches his breath, looking down at me. He reaches down and tugs at the hem of my shirt. "This has got to go."

I nod, agreeing with him and reaching my hands up as he takes it off, discarding my shirt to the floor.

My breath hitches at the feeling of his lips against my neck, slowly trailing down. His hands move behind me, pausing above the clasp of my bra, asking for permission.

"Take it off." I tell him, suddenly feeling his warm hands against my back, messing with the clasp.

He sits back once it's off, his eyes soaking up my body. I feel my entire body heat up, using my arm to cover my eyes.

"Don't hide yourself." he tells me gently, moving my hand away from my face. "You're gorgeous."

My body tingles as his hands trace over my figure, as if he's trying to memorize every part of me there is. My mind seems to go blank at the way his fingertips delicately move over my skin.

A small gasp escapes my lips as one of his hands moves to one of my breasts, massaging it. He doesn't leave the other free of affection, his mouth encircled around my breast, causing me to let out a slight moan, by body arching a bit.  
His other hand rubs circles on my hip, slowly moving down to the waistband of my shorts.

My hands run up into his hair, stroking his blond locks.  
I suck in a breath as his tongue flicks against my nipple while his hand gently pinches the other with his thumb and index finger. I tug at his hair, the feeling overwhelming.

He pulls away slightly, his hand abandoning my breast to move down my stomach, going lower until both his thumbs hook onto the top of my shorts and underwear.   
He looks up at me, constantly wanting permission. "Can I take these off?"  
I nod, allowing him.

He pulls both of them off, dropping them on the ground. I turn my head to the side, once again covering my face, my entire body feeling like it'll overheat. Everything exposed to Clay.

"C-Clay..." I stutter as his hand softly and carefully rubs the area between my thighs. My eyes shut tightly, and one of my hands reaching up to grasp at his hair.

He pulls himself away from my grip, looking up at me, his bright green eyes meeting my half-lidded eyes. A moan escapes my throat, suddenly arching my back and closing my eyes once again as his hand continues to rub me.

This feeling is so different to my body, the way he's treating me completely foreign. My body trembles and I grasp his shoulder tightly as he pushes a finger inside of me. He wasn't quick but he definitely wasn't slow, his pace quickening as he adds another finger. Before I knew it, he added a third, and I felt as if a knot had come undone, my body tingling as I orgasm.

I blush, covering my face in embarrassment at how quick that was for me. I mumble an apology.

He lets out a small chuckle, reaching up with his clean hand to move my arm away from my face.

I can't help but pout. "This isn't funny."

He lets out another small laugh, shaking his head. "I'm not laughing at you, I promise. I just thought it was cute how you apologized for something natural."

I cross my arms, turning my head away from him, feeling as if the mood is now ruined. Clay doesn't feel the same way, he leans back, pulling his shirt off to reveal his chest. He leans down for a quick moment, tilting my head to face him as he places a kiss on my lips.

My body flares up again as he trails his kisses down my jaw and to my neck, his hands taking the time to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his jeans.

He blindly reaches to the drawer beside his bed, pulling out a condom.

I grab his hand, stopping him as he reaches down for the edge of his boxers.   
He questioningly looks up at me. "What's wrong?"

I sit up, switching our positions so that he's lying on his back below me. I lean up and peck his lips, leading down to his jaw. "It's my turn to help you now."

I see the slight blush spread across his cheeks, my hand snaking down his chest and to his boxers. I push past my nervousness, palming him through the fabric.

I tease him for a moment before reaching up to his waistband and dipping my hand in.

He sucks in a breath, clenching his fists as I grab him and pull his boxers down the rest of the way.

Sitting back, I look down at him as he lies below me, his face turned slightly to the side but his emerald green eyes turn to look up at me. My breath catches in my throat at the sight of him, his blond hair lightly brushing across his eyes.

I getting off the bed and kneeling in front of him between his legs. He uses his elbows to prop himself up, his hips lifting at my touch.

I lightly touch his cock, my fingers slowly dragging up his length. He shivers, letting out a low moan as I suddenly grasp him, my thumb teasing his tip.

I grin to myself, looking up at him and seeing him blush, his eyes half-lidded. I slide my hand down to the base of his dick, leaning in to slide my tongue up the side. I move up until I reach the tip, suddenly taking the top in my mouth.

He groans, threading his fingers through my hair before throwing his head back in pleasure.  
I smirk, watching him writhe as I slowly tease him.

He looks back down at me, letting out a breath. "Stop teasing, please." he begs, gritting his teeth.

I pull off his cock, looking up at him. "Make me." I breathe, my breath hot against his length.

He huffs, smirking back at me before using his hand to guide me back onto his dick. I oblige, burying the length into my mouth. I swirl my mouth around the tip, gently suckling on it every once and awhile.

He trembles as I take more of him in my mouth, stroking what I'm unable to reach without gagging.

He groans softly and I feel his cock twitch in my mouth so I speed up, knowing he'll come any moment now.

He gasps, his body tensing. He pulls me off of him, breathing heavily.  
I glance up at him, wondering why he did that if he wasn't even going to finish.

Clay looks down at me, shaking his head. "Not yet."

I gasp as he suddenly lifts me up, turning and lying me down on my back once again. He reaches for the condom again, using his teeth to tear open the wrapper then slide the condom on himself.

I can't help but look at the lower half of his body, and as a reaction, I close my legs. My heart's beating rapidly in my chest as he pulls me close to him, pushing my legs apart as he lines himself with my entrance.

His eyes meet with mine, wanting to know if I'm ready. He's giving me the chance to back out now if I want, my comfort what's most important to him.

I nod, shutting my eyes as he buries himself inside me, stretching my walls to fit his size. I grasp onto his forearms, whimpering as I get myself used to him.

It's not my first time, but it's definitely a much different and better, experience than the ones I've had before.

He stays still, letting me adjust. His hand gently caresses my cheek, his thumb wiping away a stray tear I hadn't even realized was there. I reach my hand up to gently hold his arm, my other hand roaming his waist.

I gasp as he starts to pull out then push back in, getting deeper inside me.   
Clay leans over me and buries his face in the crook of my neck, his breath on my neck.

Before I knew it, his thrusts didn't hurt anymore, pleasure overtaking. As he realizes this, his thrusts get faster and harder.

I wrap my arms around his neck, keeping him pulled close to me while I breathe his name. I feel myself tighten around him as his hips slam against mine. Small pants escape from both of us, Clays breath hot against my neck as he repeats the action.

I run my fingers up the back of his head, through his blond hair, his scent overwhelming my mind, causing it to blank as the only thing I can focus on is pleasure.

His hands tightly grasp my hips, holding me in place as he shoves himself into me. He mutters my name in between his ragged breaths, and I can tell that he's also beginning to lose himself to the pleasure.

"I- I don't think I can..." my voice comes out more as a whimper. I can't hold out much longer. I move my hands to grip his upper arms, tightening my hold on them.

I arch my hips, meeting his rough thrusts. Adding to the build up of pleasure, he runs his hand up my stomach and to my breast, squeezing it, his thumb toying with my nipple.

"C-Clay..." I pant, feeling myself reach my limit again. With a loud moan my body jerks, the feeling of a spring coiling up in my body before it's suddenly released.

My breath catches in my throat at the sensation, but I don't have any time to relax as Clay's hips continue to pound against mine.

I can tell he's reaching the same high as me, his thrusts become sloppy as he continues. He grunts, his hands moving to clench the bedsheets as he reaches his own orgasm, releasing into the condom.

He pulls out of me and his body flops onto the mattress. He catches his breath before sitting up, pulling off the condom and throwing it in the trash. He lies back down, his arms wrapping around my body as I stare up at the ceiling, waiting for the warm fuzzy feeling to leave my mind. I breathe out in content, turning my head to the side and staring at Clay.

My eyes meet with his green ones and he smiles, tightening his hold around my body.

"Wow," he breathes. "It's pretty embarrassing how many times I've thought about this. My imagination never did you justice, though."

"I hope you're not trying to hit it again." I laugh. "Because I'm beat."

He smirks. "Darn, I just can't get enough of all of you."

I laugh, lazily sitting up. Clay tries to pull me back down but I swat his hands off my bare stomach.   
"No more blondie, George and Nick will be back soon."

He huffs, getting up off the bed to grab our clothes.

I grin, smacking his ass as he steps into his boxers.  
He jumps, pulling them up the rest of the way before turning around and glaring at me. "What the hell?"

I giggle, making grabbing hands and asking for my clothes.

He looks at me with a blank expression, using his foot to slide my clothes farther away from me.

"What a baby," I huff, stepping off the bed.   
The moment I step down, my legs give out and I fall to the ground.

Clay breaks out into a fit of laughter, doubling over and wiping away a fake tear. "That good, huh?" he teases, reaching down to pull me up.

"Shut the fuck up." I pout, looking away from him as he goes into one of his drawers.

He hands me a pair of his boxers, sweats, and a t-shirt. "They'll be more comfortable."

I thank him, sliding the boxers and sweats on.

He grabs the shirt off the bed. "I really do love you." he mumbles, kissing my cheek before putting the shirt on me.

"I love you too." I smile, looking up at him.

He helps me up, letting me use his arm as support to walk downstairs.  
We sit down on the couch, putting the tv on while we wait for the other two to get back.

"We should do that again sometime." Clay chuckles.

I laugh, blushing as I agree with him.

_  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heh smut


	19. Last Day Fun

_"We should do that again sometime." Clay chuckles._

_I laugh, blushing as I agree with him._

______________________

Clay and I are only sitting on the couch for a couple minutes before we hear the car pull up. George and Nick suddenly bursting through the front door, talking loudly as they carry the bags in.

"Hey lovebirds!" Nick shouts, walking to the kitchen and setting the food down on the counter. "Time to eat!"

Clay gets up and I do the same before immediately falling back down on the couch, my eyes wide.

The blond turns around, looking at me questioningly.

I stare up at him, shaking my head.   
Embarrassed, I look down and motion for him to get closer so I can whisper to him.

He glances at the other two as they set up the food in the kitchen, oblivious to us, before he leans over, resting his arm on the back of the couch to keep himself up.

I get close to his ear, even cupping my hand around it. "I can't walk, Clay."

He lets a laugh slip, immediately covering his mouth as he holds back the rest, almost choking on his own laughter.

"Clay," I mutter harshly, making sure Nick and George still can't hear. "it's _not_ funny."

He nods his head. "You're right." he whispers back. "I'm sorry, it's just-"

"Are you two gonna come eat or what?" George calls from his spot at the counter, interrupting Clay. "Nick and I didn't drive there just to have you two skip out."

"Oh yeah," Clay laughs. "Why don't we eat in here?"

"Why?" Nick asks, his mouth full of food. "We set everything up in here already."

Clay shrugs. "You can always just bring your plate in here."

George furrows his brows. "I don't see what's wrong with eating over here? It'll be less messy."

"Just hurry, your food will get cold." Nick points out.

"Uh, you know.." I say from my spot on the couch, sinking down lower so they can't even see my head over the back of the couch. "I'm not that hungry. I'm more drained from all of today."

"Yeah," Clay agrees with me, leaving his spot by me to go eat his food. "I'm pretty tired too, and I'm sure you guys wanna sleep after all of today too."

Nick hums, and he suddenly doesn't sound so convinced with my excuse.  
"Alright." he says, which causes me to let out a small sigh of relief. He narrows his eyes. "Go to bed then."

I freeze, sitting up and looking back at him, hints of a slight smirk on his face.   
Oh God. Please- not Nick. Please not anyone- but if one of them had to get a hint it just had to be him. George might not have been much better, but still.

I lay back on the couch, not wanting to see him. "I'm like, _really_ tired though. I might just knock out right here."

I hear a chair push out before Nick suddenly peers over the back of the couch, a smug look on his face. "Oh, no no. It won't be that comfortable on the couch. I think you should get up, and _walk_ to and up the stairs."

_This motherfucker._

"What are you going on about?" George asks, turning around in his chair.

"Nick, just leave her be." Clay sighs. "She's tired-"

Nick cuts him off, ignoring him completely as he talks to George. "Oh sweet, innocent George. Let me make it make sense."

Nick jumps over the back of the couch, sitting down on the other side just so he can mess with me to my face. He looks over at George.

"Our two dear friends, who are a couple, were faced with a difficult situation today, because they are dating." the youngest boy starts to explain to the oldest. "And we left the two alone for awhile. They had all kinds of emotions going through their heads, and one of those they acted on. And let me remind you- these two are dating."

George processes Nicks speech, his eyes widening once it clicks. "You two?!"

"There it is!" Nick cheers. "We've found out that our two friends did the deed while we were gone."

I smash my face into a pillow, just wanting to disappear from this entire conversation, maybe even the planet.  
I would've laughed at the fact that Nick got it and had to slightly explain it to George, if I wasn't one of the people in the embarrassing situation.

"Clay, really?!" George asks the blond sitting at the table with him.

Clay groans, hiding his embarrassed face in his hands. "Can we like.. Not, talk about it?"

George and Nick start laughing at the two of us, not in a rude way, just as friends teasing because we were caught. Our reactions make it better for them too since were so embarrassed.   
I stretch my legs out and kick Nick in the side, not hard enough to really hurt, but enough to get him to double over.

" _No one_ expected you two to end up doing it." Nick says sarcastically, pushing my legs away.

I huff, suddenly sitting up and chucking the pillow at Nick, hitting him straight in the face before swinging my legs off the couch. I quickly stand up to run upstairs, only to stumble against the couch, my legs _still_ wobbly. _This is just annoying._

Nick only laughs harder, almost wheezing like Clay does. "She can't even walk! Clay what the fuck did you do to her?!"

"Shut up!" Clay and I shout in sync, both of us shooting angry glares at the younger boy.

George just laughs along with Nick before suddenly gasping. "Nick! What if they did it on the couch!"

Nicks eyes widen and he immediately jumps up off the cushions, a horrified expression on his face as he looks between the couch, Clay, and me. "Ew, you animals!"

"We didn't do it on the couch!" I shout back at him, lifting myself back up onto my shaky feet. I keep my head down, not wanting them to see how red my face is. "You guys suck, I'm gonna go shower."

Clay's quickly by my side, helping me up. "We wouldn't do it out here." he rolls his eyes.

I steady myself, letting go of his arm. My legs become a little less wobbly so I make my way to the stairs, using the railing to climb up.  
Just before I leave the room, I blindly flip the two off, storming the rest of the way up.

As I get in Clay's bathroom and shut the door, starting my shower, Nick and George get the time to talk with Clay.  
The two of them rush to Clay, blocking him from getting up the stairs.

"Dude, you horny bitches couldn't wait just one more day until we left?" Nick asks, groaning.

Clay was going to run upstairs after me, wanting to hide away in his room until his friends calm down, but they didn't let that happen.

"It's not like we did it while you two were here." Clay shrugs. "And it-"

"Whoa, okay lover boy." George interrupts, shutting him up. "We don't want details. We weren't here, and it only happened in your room. That's all we care about."

"Well.." Nick huffs. "I mean come on George, we're his best friends we gotta know at least a bit more." he turns to Clay. "You two used protection, yeah?"

The blond rolls his eyes. "Nick..."

"You better have been careful." he warns. "If anything happens future wise for you or her-"

"Okay! Yes, we obviously did!" Clay exclaims, slapping his hand over Nicks mouth. "Now shut up."

The younger boy pushes his hand off his mouth. "I'm just looking out for you two. Sorry I care."

"He's older than you, Nick." George comments. "I'm sure he knows to be careful."

"Thanks old man." the brown haired boy huffs, crossing his arms.

"I'm not old!"

Nick sighs. "Fine, you're not an old man."

"Okay, I absolutely _loved_ this conversation," Clay says, getting past them and heading up the stairs. "but I'm gonna go die of embarrassment in my room."

He quickly runs up before either of them can respond with a smart ass comment. Slamming the door to his room shut behind him, loud enough so the other can hear.   
He tears the covers off the bed, throwing them to the floor before face planting on his mattress, sighing.

Clay rolls over onto his back, rubbing his face before staring blankly at the ceiling, listening to the sound of the muffled shower running.

After a couple minutes, the water turns off and I step out of the bathroom, freezing as I see Clay lying on his bed.

I look down to the floor, the covers piled up where he chucked them, then back up to him.

He sits up after I had opened the door and stared at me.

"Clay, stop it." I warn him, holding the towel tighter to my body. I cross the room, my legs feeling less shaky. I kick the sheets as I pass them. "Go clean these if you're so bored."

He groans, throwing himself back on the bed again. "But that's too embarrassing. Nick and George are down there."

"I don't think it can get much more embarrassing for us, Clay." I tell him, grabbing clothes before walking back to the bathroom.

I shut the door, Clays whining audible even with the door closed. But I'm pretty sure he takes the covers downstairs to clean because by the time I'm done changing I can't hear him anymore.

Stepping out, I don't see him or the sheets. I continue out of his room, walking down the hall and noticing that the door for Georges room is closed.

Maybe Clay got lucky enough and the others were in their rooms when he was heading to the washer.

I walk downstairs, the living room now empty. I make myself a plate of food before sitting down on the couch, taking my phone out.

I decide it's better to stay away from Twitter right now, not wanting to see what's been going on with my account. I choose to scroll through Clay's instagram, pausing to zoom in on his hands.

"What are you doing?" Clay asks, suddenly appearing behind me as he leans against the back of the couch.

I jump, quickly turning my phone off and chucking it across the couch. "Nothing." I answer as smoothly as I can. I don't wanna tell him I was practically drooling over a picture of his hands.

"Lemme see what you were looking at." he says, reaching out for me phone.

I reach across and snatch it off the couch before he can grab it. "It's nothing."

"You know, you shouldn't say stuff like that to your boyfriend." he teases. "It's suspicious."

I frown, nervously looking up at him. "I'm sorry."

His playful mood drops, his brows knitting together. "Wait- no. Why are you sorry?" he reaches out for me, holding my face in his hands.

I avoid eye contact with him. "I didn't mean for it to seem like I was up to something, or texting some guy."

"Oh no." he says, pulling my head towards his chest as he hugs me. "No, I didn't think you would ever do that kind of thing. I know you're not like that."

"I'm still sorry." I mumble.

"Y/n, you don't have to be sorry." he tells me, making me look up at him. "I'm sorry, _I_ shouldn't have said that."

A small smile tugs at my lips. "It's okay. I love you and only you."

He smiles too, pecking my lips. "Me too, I only want to be with you."

I look up at him. "Do you want to see what I was looking at? I actually don't mind."

He laughs, putting his hand out in front of us to admire it. "I actually already saw. You were all zoomed in on my hands."

I laugh, grabbing his large hand in my smaller ones. "You sneak."

"I couldn't help it." he chuckles. "I'm a sneak with hot hands."

I roll my eyes, just messing with his hand.

"You get the real thing." he comments, talking about his hand. "Everyone else has to drool over pictures."

"Not me!" Nick cheers, suddenly plopping down on the couch right beside me.

He grabs Clay's other hand, making the blond give him a high five before actually looking at his hand. "Why is everyone so obsessed with your hands?"

"I don't know." Clay shrugs, pulling his hand away from Nick. "I didn't think they would be when I posted those pictures."

"Well they did." I say, intertwining our fingers. "But your hands are mine now, so they can stay jealous."

"They were mine first." Nick objects, pulling Clay's hand away from me. "I've known him for years."

I huff, snatching it back. "Yeah well, I saw them in person first."

Nick gasps in offense, attempting to grab Clays hand again but the blond pulls away from both of us.

"Okay, you guys are getting weird." he comments. "I'll go get George and we can watch a movie or something before it gets too late."

He leaves the two of us, heading upstairs.

I turn to Nick, pushing him away from me after realizing how close he was.

"Hey." he complains, sitting back up and pushing me away from him.

We continue to shove each other, messing around while we wait for Clay and George. It's seems like we're really going at it like we hate each other, but we both know it's playful, and I'm actually having fun.

But after a shove from Nick that was just a little too rough he smiles, still messing around. "I can beat you're ass, Y/n."

That comment makes me freeze, unpleasant memories from Dylan coming back just with that simple sentence. And it's not Nicks fault at all, he never knew what happened in my past, what he said was something any friend would say to another when they're goofing off.

"You're right." I mutter, deciding not to push back.

He frowns, worriedly looking at me as he sits down again, noticing my change in mood. "Are you okay? I know that last push might've been a little too hard, I didn't mean it."

Looking past him, I see George and Clay coming down the stairs and use this as a good excuse.   
I smile, changing my mood again. "No it's okay, George and Clay are here so I stopped."

He glances at me before letting it go, but not forgetting my reaction. "Alright, I'm still sorry though."

"Sorry for what?" George asks, taking a seat before Nick.

"We were just messing around and Nick shoved me a little too hard." I tell him, brushing it off. "It's no big deal though, I'm fine."

Clay sits behind me, leaning against the end of the couch. "As long as you're okay." he reaches out and pulls me back against him.

He wraps his arms around my neck, resting them on my collarbone and leaning his head against mine.

George picks a movie this time, choosing an action one instead of something scary like Nick had wanted.

Everyone calms down and gets comfortable to watch. And about halfway through, I feel myself getting tired, trying my best to stay awake and finish the movie. In then end, I can't help but fall asleep.  
__________

The next morning I wake up to Clay's voice. I groggily open my eyes and notice I'm in his room and not out in the living room, which is the last place I remember being.

I stretch, sitting up and turning to my right to see Clay up at his desk, his attention focused on his monitor in front of him. His tongue sticks out of his mouth as he puts all his concentration on what he's doing

He suddenly slams his hands down on his desk, sighing as the death screen pops up for Minecraft. He reads off a donation, thanking them before answering their simple question. So he's streaming.

He glances at me, smiling guiltily. "Sorry about that." he mutters, referring to his previous frustration.

I tiredly smile back, shaking my head and letting him know it wasn't a problem.

"Uh, one second guys." Clay tells the stream before muting himself and taking his headset off. He rolls his chair to the side of the bed, reaching out and pulling me into him.

"Sorry if that woke you up." he says, hugging me tightly.

"It's fine, I woke up just before that." I laugh, unable to even wrap my arms around him because of the way he's holding me.

When he doesn't let go I get confused. _Did something happen while I was sleeping?_

"That thing with Nick last night," he starts, still not letting go. "when he pushed you-"

I stop him. "We were both just messing around, I was shoving him too."

He shakes his head. "No, I mean I know that. But I heard what he said after that."

If he heard then I'm sure he can put two and two together and figure out what happened with me.

"It reminded you of him, huh."

I stay silent, not wanting to say anything about him. Thinking back on what I went through with him makes me feel so dumb for staying, and weak for not being able to see and do something to help myself sooner.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up again." Clay mutters, kissing the top of my head. "I just need you to know you don't have to worry about that douchebag anymore."

I manage to move my arms and hug him back, letting my actions talk for me.

"I'm here and I won't let anything happen to you again."

I smile and sit back. "Thank you. Now get back to your stream, I'll just watch."

He grins before rolling back to his set up, putting his headset on and unmuting himself. "Okay, I'm back."

After a couple minutes of watching from my spot on his bed, I get up and take advantage of the pause he takes after he dies to sneak under his arm and sit in his lap. I'm not _really_ trying to be sneaky, I just want to be closer to him.

He stutters for a moment, his eyes focused on me as I get comfortable. He manages to goes back to reading a couple donations before starting to look for a good world again.

I make sure I lean out of the way, resting my elbows on the desk and watching as he gets what he needs from the village before running off and building a Nether portal, lighting it and immediately stepping in.

"Mark down these coords, please." he tells his chat as he digs around the portal for blocks.

I smile, finding that little action he does cute. He doesn't really need it because he either dies before he can leave, or he finds the portal on his own.

I see donations pop up either talking or asking questions about me. All of them are kind comments, but Clay still chooses to ignore those, not wanting to share anything else, and he doesn't want to mess up his run.

It's peaceful for a couple minutes, the only sound being Clays random comments along with the clicking and tapping of his mouse and keys.

The run he's doing isn't going too bad but we can already tell he won't be getting any impressive record.

"Dream!" Nick suddenly shouts, flinging the door open and barging in and causing me to jump slightly.

Clay flinches before refocusing to continue his run. "Dude, what do you want?"

The younger boy casually walks in and sits down on the bed to watch. "Nothing, I was watching your stream downstairs and I wanted to tell you that you're doing ass on this run."

"Oh wow, thank you for that." Clay chuckles.

Nick either ignores or doesn't want to bring up the fact that I'm sitting in Clays lap in front of the stream. But when I make eye contact with him he raises his brows, smirking teasingly.

I roll my eyes, sticking my tongue out as he starts making kissing faces, mimicking what he thinks Clay and I do.

"Damn it." Clay groans, hitting his hands against his desk as he dies again. "You guys are too distracting."

"It was Nick." I immediately blame.

The blond chuckles as Nick furrows his brows and starts calling me out too.

"It doesn't matter, I think I'm gonna end the stream now." Clay says, staying on the Minecraft main menu instead of starting a new world.

Nick stands up, leaning against the back of the chair and looking at the monitor. "Yeah, we got stuff to do today anyways."

We all say bye to Clays stream, ignoring the comments from people who want to know what we're doing before the stream ends.

I get up while Clay stretches his arms. "I had so many viewers it was crazy."

"Well I have a feeling they missed your speed runs and were hoping for more information about us."

He smiles. "I made sure to not say anything when I saw a donation about that."

I thank him, reaching out and hugging him before Nick makes up separate so we can get ready. The two boys leave since they're already dressed for the day, but I stay back to get ready.

I check the time, wondering how long I actually slept in while Clay was streaming.  
Holy shit it's already 12, which means we only have about nine more hours to spend with Nick and George, both of their flights leaving at ten tonight. I cut an hour off the time we can spend with them since that'll be less fun and more like the four of us dreading the fact that they're already leaving.

I change into shorts and a t-shirt, put on light makeup, and finish the rest of my routine before heading downstairs, grabbing a jacket from my room along the way.

"What are we even doing today?" I ask Clay, walking into the kitchen to grab something to eat.

"Well, I really only had the end of our day planned out, which is a sushi restaurant and then a surprise for the very end. Like a grand finale to our week." Clay tells me, him, Nick, and George all scrolling through their phones on the couch.

I think about what we can do before, I'm assuming dinner, which is sushi. "Have you two had boba before?"

Nick turns around and looks at me, excitedly. George does the same as Clay cringes.

"Egh, no." the blond mutters.

"What's boba?" George curiously asks me.

I furrow my brows, looking at him. "You seriously don't know what boba is?"

The Brit shakes his head.

"What rock have you been living under?"

He opens his mouth to give me some dumbass response but I cut him off by holding up my index finger. "Eh, I actually don't wanna hear it."

"I've heard it's gross, don't be too excited George." Clay says, not even nothing to look up from his phone.

I frown at him, crossing my arms. "You're not allowed to say anything until you try it."

"What is it though?" George asks again, no one giving him an explanation.

"It's those little squishy balls that are in drinks. It's so good." Nick explains, brings his thumb and index finger together to show what the size is about.

I nod. "Yeah, it's really good. You can take mine and Nicks word for it, not Clay's- whose never had it so how would he know?"

He shudders, cringing again. "They're just slimy. Why would you want to eat that?"

I huff, pulling out my phone and going to my maps. Typing in 'boba' to find the nearest shop.  
"Look Clay," I grin, putting my phone in his face. "you just so happen to live right by one."

He rolls his eyes, sighing. "Of course I do."

"Let's go then!" George says excitedly.

"Hell yeah!" I agree, the three of us standing up.

Nick and George are already at the door, putting their shoes on and grabbing the keys while I'm stuck with getting Clay up.

"Let's. Go." I grunt, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him up. But he just goes limp, making it extremely difficult to pull him up.

"But I don't want to get that." he complains.

I drop his arm and he lets it fall to the couch. "Fine." I huff, turning around and heading for the door. I put my shoes on, standing in the doorway before turning around. "I'll just go out and have fun with Nick and George. No Clay."

"Have fun home alone while I hang out with your best friends." I say cheerily, shutting the door behind me.

I make it to the driver side when the front door swings open and Clay walks out. He huffs, getting in the back seat beside Nick without a word.

I smirk. _That's what I thought._

"Okay," I clap as I get in the car, handing my phone to George. "Directions please."

He leads the way while I drive, Clay and Nick talking to each other in the back the entire time.

When we arrive and get inside the shop, I can already recognize the smell of all the different kinds of drinks and boba.

A nice lady who looks about the same age as Nick or I, greets us at the main counter. "What can I get for you four?" she chirps.

I order a milk tea with boba and Nick gets a mango tea with boba, the two of us ordering first because we know what we want.

Clay looks up at the menu, reading it over before sighing. "Just get me whatever you got." he tells me.

I nod, turning to George as he shrugs his shoulders.

"Do you just wanna get what I got?" Nick suggests. "If you like mango, you'll like the drink."

"Sure, mangos not that bad."

Nick orders for George and I pay, since it was my idea to come here in the first place.

We take a seat inside, talking as we wait for our drinks.

"It sucks that you guys are leaving tonight." I sigh.

"Yeah, but we had fun this week." George says. "And I don't know about Nick but I'd like to visit again."

Nick hits the Brits arm. "Hey, I definitely want to visit. Maybe next time we could meet at mine or Georges house."

"Don't you both still live with your mom?" Clay laughs slightly.

Nick sighs. "Okay yes, but I have an excuse because I'm younger. But I don't know what's going on with George."

We all look at him, waiting for him to explain.  
He just shrugs. "I don't know. I'm just lazy I guess."

"Adult of the year award goes to you George." Clay says sarcastically.

George rolls his eyes. "Sorry I'm not like you, golden boy."

Clay blinks. "Golden boy? What the hell does that mean?"

"Listen, I got this." Nick jumps in. "You got everything going for you; your own house, a sweet and awesome job, cash, and a girlfriend. Everything's going good."

The blond laughs. "Then I'd say it's only a matter of time before something goes wrong."

"You better be ready." George jokes.

I laugh with them as they keep going. But it is true I'd say, Clay does have a lot going for him. He worked to get where he is, granted it was probably just some side jobs while his Youtube career was picking up, but he's now almost to 12 million subscribers. Which is a large and quick following he gained from when I first met him almost two months ago.

The lady from the counter interrupts to hand us our drinks before heading back to help out more customers.

I take a sip of mine, immediately enjoying the taste.

George tries his and we all watch for his reaction. He shrugs. "It's not too bad."

"One out of two so far." Nick grins, turning to Clay. "What do you think dude?"

I watch as he groans before taking a sip, swallowing the drink and chewing the boba.

I raise my brows, scooting closer to him. "So?"

He sighs, putting his head down. "It's good." he mumbles.

I start laughing at him, Nick and George joining me. "See, you can't hate it until you've tried it."

"Whatever." he mumbles, a hint of a smile on his face as he tries to hold it back.

We talk for a bit more until we finish our drinks and head out. Clay gets in the driver seat this time, taking us around to kill time until dinner. We end up stopping at a park, the three of them acting like children by running around the playground.

I sit on one of the swings by myself, watching them while barely swinging.

They finally stop messing around on the playground to come sit with me, Clay standing behind me a pushing me.

Nick soon turns this into a game, seeing who can launch themselves out into the sand the farthest. I join in on the game, getting even with George but neither of us can get as far as Nick and Clay, the two of them competing against each other.

It soon gets darker outside, meaning we should head to dinner now. I call the game off, George and I deciding Nick won, Clay protesting our decision.

We all get back in the car, Clay driving again since he's the only one who knows where the restaurant is.

"Oh my gosh!" I complain once we get there. "I'm so hungry. I've been fed almost nothing today."

"You had that waffle this morning, or before we left for boba." Clay points out.

I groan. "Yeah but it was just a frozen one."

George shakes his head, chuckling at my decision. "I still don't know why you didn't just toast it. It would've taken like two minutes."

"Okay, _George_ you don't hear me making fun of your decision to live with your mom at age twenty four." I shoot back.

"Okay ladies." Clay stops us just as we're about to step inside. "This is a nice sushi restaurant, let's calm down and look like civilized people."

"I'm calm." I say, glancing at George as he says the same.

We walk inside, the air warmer compared to the cooler outside weather.

We're immediately seated and given menus, not even needing to wait like normal on a Saturday night.

"What are you getting Y/n?" Clay asks me, leaning into my space to look at my menu with me.

"Uh, I'll just get.." I think it over, not really wanting to get anything with raw fish. "The california rolls. And maybe miso soup."

"So.. You're not getting real sushi?" he asks, somewhat confused.

"I'm getting the big udon noodle bowl." Nick interrupts, slapping his menu closed a little too loudly.

"You too?!"

Nick fake gags. "It's literally slimy raw fish slapped on top of a roll."

Clay grimaces. "You two have no taste, unlike me and George."

"Oh yeah, and what are you getting?"

"The spicy tuna roll." he answers without even looking at his menu.

I stare at him, his menu lying untouched on the table. "How often do you even come here?"

"Let's just say I have sushi nights with my mom."

I grin, narrowing my eyes. "You are _such_ a mamas boy."

"Dude you make her drive like forty five minutes to eat sushi with you?" Nick questions.

"Well, remember he lets her stay the night when she does that." George comments, turning to me. "Once a week he'd always be really quiet on our call because his mom was already asleep in the other room."

I laugh as Clay complains that George didn't need to tell me that. I look over at him, my heart warming as I think of the small action he does when his mom's over.

I wonder what she's like. Clay has said he's surprised she hasn't come over yet since she normally visits with his younger siblings. And from what he's told me, she sounds like a fun person to be around.

"I think it's sweet you do that." I smile, grabbing his hand. Maybe he won't be as embarrassed at the fact that I know if I just let him know I find the action cute.

He blushes, looking down at our hands then back up to his two friends across from us. "Yeah, well I might get beat if I wake her up with screaming."

He keeps our hands connected but moves them to rest on the seat between us, even as the waitress takes our food and drink orders.

He only lets go once our food arrives after a little bit of waiting.

The rest of dinner goes by a little too quickly, each of us trying food off the others plates. Clay even gets Nick and I to try one of his and Georges rolls, which neither of us end up liking.

We pay then leave, everyone quiet as we get in the car. Clay starts it up and all our eyes go to the digital clock; 7:29 pm.  
We don't have much longer until Nick and George have to pack and leave.

"Well." I sigh, smiling to hide my disappointment. "What's last on our agenda?"

Clay grins, backing out of the parking spot before driving off. "You'll see."  
__________

"A gas station?" I ask, highly confused as we stand outside a small dimly lit station, having drove for a good amount of time so there's literally nothing else around us.

"Never judge a book by its cover." Clay scolds, grabbing my hand and guiding everyone inside.

I'm still not impressed. It looks like any old gross gas station. It's quiet and bare of any other people besides the store clerk.

"Okay, you drove us out here to kill us huh?" George jokes, looking around.

"Just- keep following me." Clay says, walking up to the clerk.  
"Can I?" Clay asks.

The guy behind the counter nods, looking from Clay to the three of us behind him. He chuckles, shaking his head as he grabs a set of keys from under the counter. "Knock yourselves out."

The man hands Clay the keys without another word. I glance at Nick and George, all three of us to confused with the exchange that just happened.

Clay drags us to a door at the back of the store, using a key to unlock the door and push it open, reveals what's on the other side.

He walks in and stops, looking up at all the shelves in front of us.   
My eyes widen and a smile tugs at my lips.

"Dude-" Nick breathes. "No way."

In front of us are multiple shelves filled with all different types of fireworks, from the small sparklers to the giant ones that go off on the Fourth of July or New Years.

"Clay, what the hell. Aren't these fireworks like- illegal here?" George asks.

Clay nods his head, shutting the door behind us. "Yup, that's why these are hidden in the back."

"But how does he know he could trust you enough to let you buys some." I question.

If that guy doesn't want to get in trouble, why would he let random people back here. Wait, how did he even know Clay wanted to come back here? All he asked was 'can I?'.

"I've been coming here for _years_ with my family and friends so the guy knows us." Clay says. "That guy's been working here ever since I can remember. So he knows me by now, and I haven't snitched on him yet."

"Yet? Like you plan to at some point." Nick laughs.

"Oh come on, I wouldn't do that." Clay shakes his head.

"So, we're gonna buy some?" George asks.

Clay rolls his eyes in a teasing manner. "Well that's the plan dummy. Knock yourselves out, this guy gives me hella discounts."

"Hell yeah." Nick cheers, rushing to the shelves.

The rest of us do the same, looking at all the different type of fireworks and what they do.   
Clay goes out and grabs a basket, letting us out whatever firework we choose.

After a couple minutes, we have a giant basket full of the fun explosives.

We excitedly head back to the counter to pay for everything.   
The man scans all our stuff, the amount we spent on everything pretty expensive.

Before we can leave the older man stops us. "Kid. You know the rules if you get caught, right."

"Yes sir. We didn't get any of this from you." Clay answers, walking backwards as we leave, boxes in our hands.

"Alright, be safe kids."

"We will." Clay calls out before the door finally shuts.

We bring the boxes back to his car, putting them in the back before piling in.

"Where to now?" George asks Clay. He takes out his phone to look at the time. "We have about an hour until nine."

Clay shakes his head, keeping his eyes up on the road. "Not far."

It only takes us about five minutes to get where Clay had planned, which is a plain deserted field. We have to park the car on the side of the road then walk through a bunch of trees to get to the field though.  
We set all the boxes down, digging through them for something to start with.

Clay grabs a handful of sparklers, lighting them before giving them to me. He stands in front of me, putting his hands around the sparkling part. When I comment on how he can burn his hands, he reassures me and lets me know it just tickles instead of hurts if you stay the right distance away from it.

"Watch this!" Nick calls out.

We turn around, watching as him and George light a fountain firework that crackles and flashes, little parts shooting out too.

"Dude, you won't jump through it." Nick dares George.

"Damn right I won't." George shakes his head. "Clay, do it or you suck."

I glance at Clay as I tie my hair back, the blond thinking it over before passing too.

"Alright I'll do it." I smile, running up to it before they could say anything.  
The fountain of sparks grows bigger and brighter just before I jump over it, covering my eyes.

I stop on the other side, opening my eyes and patting myself to make sure I didn't catch on fire or anything.

With nothing wrong, I look past the firework as it dies out. The boys standing across from me, staring at me like I actually am on fire.

"Wow..." Nick mutters. "We're such pussies."

"What- no." Clay denies, going to the box to grab another one. "Light another one and I'll do it."

"Someone's getting tough because his girlfriend showed him up." George teases as Clay sets it up again.

I stand opposite of them, the whole thing becoming a game to see who will actually do it and stand on the other side of the fountain with me.

Nick puts his hand on Clays shoulder. "You know even if you do it. She's still cooler than you."

"Oh alright." Clay rolls his eyes, letting George light it for him.

He waits until the sparks grow the biggest they can get before jumping through.  
He stumbles a bit before stopping right in front of me, smiling as he looks down. "Did it."

I laugh, looking at his shirt before pointing at his sleeve. "You got a little something."

He glances down, his eyes widening as he frantically pats away the glowing ember that was starting to smoke on his shirt.  
"Thanks for the help, babe." he says sarcastically.

"Of course." I smile, patting his arms.

We turn around just in time to watch George then Nick jump through before the fountain finally dies.

"We only had two of those, so that's it for that." Clay says, the four of us looking around in more boxes.

For about thirty minutes we set off a couple small fireworks and even a couple giant ones.

I pull out a roman candle, lighting it and pointing it up into the sky as it shoots off. I smirk as I point it down, aiming it at George.

"What the hell?!" The Brit exclaims, flinching after one hit him.

He glares up at me, lighting his own and pointing it at me. We hit each other a couple times before Nick and Clay join in, everyone playing the dangerous game of trying to hit each other with a firework.

Once we run out of those, Nick makes stay where we are, grabbing something from the box and running a little further out.

George, Clay, and I all stand far back as we watch Nick crouch down by one of the large fireworks, trying to light the fuse.

Once he finally gets it he quickly stands up, running back towards us and screaming like he's about to die.

"Stop doing that every time you light one." I tell him once he's next to us, slapping the back of his head.

He doesn't get to respond, the firework shooting off into the sky. We follow it up before it explodes into a giant flash of colors, it's even followed by a bunch of little crackles.

"Those are my favorite ones." I mumble to Clay, our arms linked together as Nick goes to light another one, George following behind him.

It's quiet for a moment before Clay suddenly frowns. When I start to ask him what's wrong he shushes me, holding his finger up as he listens hard.

I hear a faint noise behind us, but I can't really make out what it is.

"Uh oh." Clay mutters, grabbing my hand and pulling me back towards our boxes.

"Do you hear that-" George starts before Clay cuts him off.

"Pack it up boys, we gotta go." he says, shoving the fireworks we took out back into the boxes.

After a couple seconds, the sound gets louder and I'm able to recognize that it's sirens getting very close. While the boys pick stuff up I turn around and watch the blue and red lights shine on the trees that surround the cop car.

Thankfully they came on the opposite side we're on, so our car isn't parked over there. I watch the lights freeze, meaning the car stopped.

"Y/n let's go!" Clay exclaims, grabbing my hand and pulling me along behind him, everything packed away already.

As the four of us run to the trees, I glance back behind us and see two cops all the way across the field, just now emerging from the tree line.

"Get back here kids!" one shouts, but we just continue running.

We make it into the trees, needing to be more careful as we run since it's dark and there's more obstacles.

Clay let's go of my hand to fumble around his pocket, cursing as he tries to get the keys.

Just as we get to the car he unlocks it, Nick and I piling into the back with the boxes of fireworks we had left over while George and Clay get in the front.

"Oh God, this is so wrong." I groan as Clay starts the car and quickly drives off.

"Duh, but it's fun as hell." Nick laughs.

The two of us turn around to look out the back window, managing to spot the cops as they stop on the side of the road where we were a moment ago.

"Ah, just like high school." Clay sighs, a grin on his face.

"You did this back in high school?!" Nick asks, all of us not believing him, but also knowing it's probably true.

"Fuck yeah." he nods. "Me and a couple of my old friends would do this maybe once a month. The ones with just an allowance would save up all month, and combine it with the money the others got from their jobs. We'd buy a shit ton from that gas station to take out here."

"That sounds like fun," I say. "I mean this whole thing was fun and different. I _never_ did this as a kid."

Clay grins. "I'm glad you had fun then."

We continue driving, Clay calm while the rest of us become a little paranoid, looking around to make sure we don't see any cop cars coming after us.

The three of us settle down once we make it back to the town, so many cars around you wouldn't be able to tell it was our car that was out there.

Clay drives back to his house and once we get there it's already nine.   
We help Nick and George pack their things, letting the two of them say goodbye to patches before getting right back in the car and driving to the airport.

After security and all their other checks, it's already about time for them to go.

We all awkwardly stand around each other, no one wanting to say anything because we all know what might happen.

Suddenly, Nicks flight is called over the speakers, the moment no one was looking forward to arriving.

"Well." Nick finally says, lookin at the three of us, a sad smile on his face. "I had a amazing time with you guys. And I really hope we can do this again soon."

Clay nods, the same smile that's on Nick's face is on both the blonds and Georges.

Nick reaches out, him and Clay hugging each other for a moment before he turns to me.

I smile, my eyes watering up. He opens his arms and I accept the hug. I might not have actually known him for that long, but he's definitely become much closer me, George too. They've become one of the only people I can rely on and trust, along with Clay.

He pulls away to give George a hug, the two of them exchanging quiet words before Nick backs up.

"Alright guys." he says. "I'll see you all soon, yeah?"

Clay nods. "Not too soon, I need a break from your smell."

"And I cant watch another scary movie anytime soon." George adds.

Nick playfully rolls his eyes, sighing as he walks backwards. "Whatever dudes, I'll be back."

He waves and we wave back, not stopping until he's finally out of sight.

After a couple minutes Georges flight is called and the cycle of hugs and slight tears starts up again.

"We'll do something soon." Clay says as the two hug.

"Maybe even at my house." George halfway jokes. "I'll make you three get on the long ass flight."

We laugh, George switching to hug me for a moment before pulling away and stepping back.

"See you soon." George waves, smiling before walking to his boarding gate.

Clay and I stand there for a moment, even once George is out of sight.

"Let's get home." the blond says, locking our hands together. "I need sleep, and lots of it."

I laugh, agreeing with him. Today was another long and exciting day, and after so many in a row, we can finally lie down and chill.

We walk hand in hand through the airport and out to the car, getting in and driving back home.

"I already can't wait to meet up again." I smile. "I'm glad those are your friends and I got to meet them, they're good guys."

Clay nods, a small smile on his face as he thinks about them. "Yeah, they're cool. We'll plan something soon."

Soon was actually a lot sooner than anyone had thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another long chapter :)


	20. Oh Shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a small bit of smut again :)

_Clay nods, a small smile on his face as he thinks about them. "Yeah, they're cool. We'll plan something soon."_

_Soon was actually a lot sooner than anyone had thought.  
  
_ ______________________

Its been one day since George and Nick left, going back to their own homes after staying with Clay and I for a full week.

They were messaging Clay the moment they got back to their houses, all of them getting on the computer to play Minecraft instead of sleep. I had tried sleeping in Clays room with him that night, but after just a few minutes of them playing, I went to my own room for the night. Even when they're trying to be quiet, they're so loud and don't stop laughing.

The next morning I had woken up to Clay's arms wrapped around me while he sleeps. I stayed in that position for awhile, not wanting to wake him up, but it eventually got uncomfortable, so I woke him up.

Apparently he had been playing all night and when he finally turned the game off, he noticed I wasn't there. So instead of falling asleep in his own bed, he came into my room and clung to me.

I don't mind it at all though. The attention and loving affection feels nice, especially coming from him.

But when he's busy streaming or recording, I now get Patches to hold and hang out with. Which is where I am right now.

Hanging out on the living room couch with Patches, watching one of the only good shows on tv right now, while my twenty one year old boyfriend screams and laughs with his best friends upstairs on the computer. The three of them doing a late night stream.

Clay had told me I could join them, but I declined. It's probably still a little too early to get back on with everyone.  
This whole "Dream and Y/n dating thing" blowing up on Twitter, which ends up sending me the majority of the hate.

They don't even use my online name to get more people onto my channel so I have more views. They used my real name since everyone was saying it in the stream where Clay slipped up.

At this point, it's whatever. There's always going to be those few toxic people who just don't know when to stop, but I was actually pretty surprised when I saw others standing up for Clay and I, and once a few people did it, it became more and more.

I sigh, wrapping my hands around Patches chest, lifting her up to face me. Her feet dangle for a moment before I set them down on my thighs, still holding her up.

"Hi baby kitty." I smile, pulling her towards me and placing a quick and light kiss on her nose.

She immediately leans into the touch, trying to rub her face against mine, but I back her up before she can do so.

I move her to the empty spot on the couch beside me, letting her front paws down too. With the ability to now move freely without me holding her, she steps back into my lap, using her head to push against me. Her purring starts off soft and faint but soon becomes loud enough to hear without getting too close to her.

I laugh, spoiling her by giving her the affection she wants, scratching behind her ear. "You better like me more than Clay one day." I mutter.

It's funny, the cat can't even talk or understand me, yet she's so much better to talk to than most people. Maybe the fact that she can't talk back is what helps the most, allowing me to talk the ear off this poor cat until I feel somewhat better.

I actually found myself doing that yesterday while Clay streamed, going on about everything that's happened on Twitter recently. Just venting aloud to Patches about the more stressful and emotional part of how I'm feeling.   
I hadn't wanted to make Clay stressed with this stuff at all, since he shouldn't need to feel like that because of me. He did end up getting me to tell him everything, allowing me to vent to him. I cried again during that, upset but more relieved and grateful to have him with me.

Smiling, I continue to scratch Patches while she rubs against my hand, her tail curling around my arm.

Suddenly, there's a muffled bang upstairs, Clay most likely slamming his hands against his desktop in frustration, which startles Patches enough for her to spirt off my lap and into the guest room, most likely to hide under the bed.

Sighing, I stare at where Patches had just disappeared. _There goes my boredom companion._

And about a minute later I hear Clay shout from upstairs. "Y/n! Come up here!"

From my spot on the couch I look to the stairs, confused and worried because he's streaming and just called my name.  
I quickly pick up my phone, swiping across it and rushing to Clay and I's text messages.

Blondie <3

clay wth  
you're streaming, why did you call me?

The read receipt pops up underneath my message, and instead of responding over texts, he shouts across the house again. "No I'm not! Get up here!"

I let out a small sigh of relief. It's not like no one knows we're together, I just don't want to keep bringing it up.

Groaning, I push myself up off the couch, walking to and up the stairs.

"Yeah?" I question, pushing open his door and stepping inside.

He turns to me, beckoning me over to his computer.

When I get there I notice he's just sitting on a Discord vc with Nick and George, green circles appearing around their profiles to show that they're talking, but since Clay has his headset on, I can't hear.

"You know I can't hear them, right?" I ask, raising a brow and looking down at him.

He fumbles with his headset, unplugging it and taking it off. Nick and George's voice immediately starts playing out of the speakers, the two of them talking loudly.

"Why did you need-" I'm cut off when Clay wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me down to sit on his lap, both of us facing the screen. "Clay?"

He scoots the chair closer to the monitor, one arm still wrapped around my stomach, the other controlling the mouse while his chin rests on my shoulder, his eyes focused ahead on the screen.

I chuckle, turning my head and cupping his face with one of my hands to pull it towards me, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

As soon as I turn back to the screen, his arm tightens around me. "George wants help with the vlog he recorded."

"Oh, alright." I nod, leaning forwards a bit and resting my arms against the desk.

"You're a pretty organized person Y/n." George says to me, ending his one-on-one conversation with Nick. "I figured you'd be the most help."

Nicks Discord profile lights up. "He didn't want the vlog to be too sexy because of all my ideas."

"You're so dumb, look Y/n, this is what he told me to leave in." George shares his screen, clicking on the video Nick had told him to keep.

The clip is only about ten seconds long, but it's of George messily eating the burger he had ordered at Johnny Rockets when we had gone to the amusement park.  
I actually hadn't even noticed him eating it this way, too busy with my own meal. But obviously Nick wasn't too busy, since he recorded without George knowing.

Clay leans in closer as he watches the video, squinting. "Why the hell are you eating it like that?"

"George, do they not have burgers in England?" I laugh, poking fun at how much of the burger's contents are falling out the back from the way he's eating. "Because it looks like you've never actually had one."

Theres a bang from Georges mic, his muffled voice following it. "I hate you guys. I wish I never showed it."

Clays phone screen lights up on the desk beside him, earning a glance from the both of us. The blond picks it up and unlocks it, moving it in front of both of us and going to his most recent text.

It's from Nick and I already have a feeling I know what it is, so when Clay opens it, I'm proved right.

A small chuckle escapes Clays lips. He tries to cover it up but it eventually turns into one of his iconic laughs, not one of his wheezes though. Sadly.

I laugh lightly with him as he saves the video, Nick knowing why we're laughing so he joins in. But George just stays silent until we slowly stop.

"Are you guys done now?" he asks, his voice monotone.

It's quiet, none of us saying anything. If we do, we might keep laughing, the fact that George hates the video so much making it even better.

"If no one is going to help then I just won't upload a vlog." he shrugs, done with out antics.

"Okay, okay." I begin, knowing that he sounds like he's joking but he's entirely honest. "Here, I'll help you. Just send some stuff to Clay."

He grumbles. "There's so many clips though."

"Then let's just go through them and choose what we want in, and want out. That's obvious enough." Clay decides, not even bothering to look up at the screen. He rests his forehead on my shoulder, now wrapping both arms around my waist.

The four of us go through the clips, Darryl finally joining in after all the times we pinged him.  
After awhile of watching, Clays phone starts ringing on the desk.

He picks his head up, grabbing the phone and answering. "Hey mom."

I perk up at the mention of his mom, not having met her yet, but really wanting to.   
Her voice is inaudible to me, but I can guess what she said once Clay answers.

"I'm talking with the guys and Y/n." he answers simply.

"Is that his mom?" Nick asks, having heard Clay talking through the mic.

I nod even though he can't see me. "Yeah, she just called him."

Clay sighs, his mom having said something to him.  
"Yes, that was her." he goes quiet again as she responds.

"We're busy right now mom." he tells.   
After she responds, his eyes widen and a blush spreads across his cheeks, his voice rising in pitch. "No! Mom what the hell?! Us and the guys are going over a video, why would we-"

She cuts him off, I can hear her laughter on the other side of the call. She knows she got her son flustered, and she finds it funny. I don't blame her though, it's always cute to see Clay blush.

He glances at me while listening to her, his eyes quickly going back to the computer screen. "We'll do it Wednesday, I promise."

I curiously look at him, turning around a bit more to see him better. I don't interrupt though, wanting to just listen to what he's saying.

Nick doesn't seem to care though. "What are you doing Wednesday without me?!"

"Nick shut up man." Clay says sharply, immediately returning to the phone call with him mom. Clays response earning a laugh from George and Darryl.

He notices his mom will most likely talk his ear off, his motions for me to sit up so he get get out of the chair.   
I stand up for a moment and once he's out of the chair, I sit back down in his seat, turning to watch him walk out the door.

"Is he gone yet?" George asks, bringing my attention back to the task we were doing.

I pull the chair back in. "Oh, yeah we can finish this up."

"Sounds like you get to meet the fam on Wednesday, or at least his mom." Nick points out.

"Yeah, it sounded that way." I smile, hoping it's true.

If it is, I'm extremely nervous, not wanting to make a bad first impression with his mom and dad. Or I hope to not completely embarrassed myself.  
He had told me he has two younger siblings and one older, so I wonder if they'll be there too, _if_ this is even happening.

"Y/n." Darryl calls out, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"How are you feeling if it is the plan?" he repeats since I hadn't heard it the first time.

I rub my face. "Well, I'll be nervous, that's for sure."

"You're a good person, I don't think you'll need to worry about anything." Darryl assures me, making me feel a bit more confident.

"Just don't embarrass yourself." Nick teases, and I can hear the grin on his face.

George joins in. "That'll be _so_ embarrassing Y/n. Imagine you like- spill water on everyone."

"That's pretty tame." Nick comments, unimpressed.

"What would be good then, huh?" George shoots back. "What great idea is going through, Sir Funny Sapnaps head right now."

I can tell Nick got annoyed from that. "I don't know- dumb George. She could accidentally knock over everyone's plates of food."

"How does that even happen?" George laughs sarcastically. "She'd have to practically flip the table to do that to _everyone's_ food."

"You guys aren't helping." I cut in, but they just keep going. Darryl gets a few words in, telling them I won't do whatever they keep going on about.

I sit in Clays chair, bored since I get no say on the conversation happening.

Suddenly, Clays arms wrap around my neck, resting on my shoulders. "You'll be just fine, they'll love you."

I twist in the chair, facing him. "So it's true? I'm meeting your parents on Wednesday?"

He nods, smiling awkwardly. "And, it's not just my mom and dad. It's my siblings too."

"Oh God." I mutter, hanging my head down. "This is it. My death date is now set."

He chuckles moving to sit back down in his chair. "It'll all be okay." he assures as he guides me to sit back on his lap.

This time, I sit backwards, facing him with my legs on both sides of his hips, my arms wrapped behind his neck so I can pull him close. I rest my head in the crook of his neck, choosing to just listen to him now talk with his friends again, having been able to stop the boys previous conversation.

Their voices soon start to sound like nothing, my mind tuning them out as I close my eyes.  
__________

Tuesday passes quickly, the two of us sitting around all day. I had decided to get on Minecraft, practicing for the Mcc that's coming up.

Clay had gotten on too, helping me get through the the parkour map.

The blond suggested I stream, not having done it in awhile. Honestly, the beginning of the stream was pretty awkward. I hadn't known what to say after being gone for so long and with everything that happened recently, but I had eventually gotten more comfortable.

My viewers actually welcomed me back nicely, and I hadn't gotten any hate like I thought I would've. At the end of it, everyone enjoyed it, especially when the other three joined me.  
I'm not saying there wasn't any rude comments that appeared in the chat, they went by quickly but when I looked, I could see at least one. And I had made sure to turn my donations off so nothing can show up on screen.

But that was yesterday. Today is the day I meet Clays family for an early dinner. It's getting close to 4:30, the time we need to already be out the house. I've already taken a shower and done my makeup, so the only thing left is my outfit. Which, probably wasn't the best order to do this whole thing, but I just must not be thinking. It should be fine though, I never put much makeup on anyways.

I stand in front of my closet, my eyes scanning through the tops I have. _I just have to dress nice, right? Nothing much._

Clay walls down the hall, passing my room before freezing and backtracking, stopping at my doorway and poking his head in. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what to wear." I mumble without looking at him, my attention focused on picking a damn shirt.

He walks into my room, standing beside me and crossing his arms, looking at the closet with me.

He's already dressed and ready so he has time. His outfit is simple but nice, a white shirt, black pants and a jacket.

"Wear this." he grins, reaching out and showing off a maroon short sleeved shirt.

I laugh, pulling on his arm to get him away from my closet. "Too cold. Could you go get me some pants instead?"

He smiles happily, nodding and rushing to my dresser to hopefully grab a good pair that I can wear.

I turn back to my closet, thinking for one more moment before settling with a plain black long sleeve.

When I turn around, Clay has already picked out a light blue pair of jeans without rips, a black belt also thrown with it.

I hold out the shirt I picked, satisfied with how it looks put together. "Wow, I was ready to pick a pair of pants myself, but this is good. You even grabbed a belt."

He makes the motion of sassily flipping his hair. "I have a fashion sense."

I nod my head. "Alright, alright. I'll give you that. Partially." my eyes trail down to the shoes he already had on. "But those aren't it."

He frowns, stepping back and hiding my view of his shoes behind the bed. "My shoes are great." he huffs.

I laugh, unable to hold it back. "Clay, you look like you found a store just for soccer dads."

"We'll I don't care about my shoes, so it doesn't matter." he pouts, crossing his arms and turning away from me.

"Aw, don't be a big baby." I grin, stepping up to him. I grab his face with my hands, turning him towards me to place a kiss on his frowning lips.

I see a smile twitch at the corner of his mouth as he tried to hold it back, eventually giving in and grinning back at me.

He wraps me in a quick hug before letting go and heading to the door. "I'll be downstairs, we have to leave in like ten minutes."

I nod as he lightly shuts the door so I can change. After putting my outfit on, I check myself in the mirror, brushing my hair and making sure my makeup still looks good.

I head downstairs, seeing Clay sitting on the couch, idly scrolling through his phone.  
I check my own phone, noticing we still have eight minutes before we leave, an idea that's equally good and bad popping up in my head.

Before the rational side of my brain can take over, I'm already standing in front of Clay.

He looks up at me. "You ready?" he questions, starting to get up.

I stop him, blushing as I push him back down onto the couch.

"Y/n?" he says, confused and watching me intently as I wordlessly kneel in front of him between his legs.

I push back my nervousness, my hands resting on his thighs.

I gain enough courage to look up at him while I reach my hand up further.

His face turns red and he covers half of it with his hand, his eyes still visible as he watches me.

My hand meets with the tent in his pants and he flinches before groaning lightly as I palm him through his jeans.

I smirk slyly, his reactions exciting me. This time, I get to be in control while he turns into mush in my hands. He's acting just like I had when he was the one to take control, blushing and covering my face. I've barely touched him and he's already a mess.

I think of the time we have left and decide to skip teasing him, a bit disappointed but not wanting to cut this off at the end. I'm sure he wouldn't like that either.

He squeezes his eyes shut, biting his knuckle as I unbutton and unzip his pants, pulling them down a bit.

I look from the bulge in his underwear before looking up to him, sitting up and leaning over his body so I can get close to his face. "You're already hard and I've done practically nothing." I tease, pulling his hand away from his mouth to hear him.

He whines, grabbing my hand with his. "Just do something already."

Slipping my hand out of his grasp, I smirk. "You're lucky we're short on time. Or else this wouldn't be so quick."

Without a verbal reply from him, I sit back again, dipping my hand into the waistband of his boxers.

He lets out a breath as I grab him with one hand, sliding his boxers down enough to pull his cock out.

I lightly touch his shaft, running my fingers up it's length to tease him. He clenches his fists on the couch beside him, sensitive to my featherlight touches.

"Y/n, please." he begs, gritting his teeth. "We don't have time for teasing."

I sit up. "We have a bit of time." I mutter before slowly licking up his cock, taking the tip into my mouth as I reach the top.

He groans as I sink lower, swirling my tongue around for a moment before pulling away. I grab his length, teasing the head that's already extremely sensitive.

His hand reaches out to the side of my head, attempting to pull me back onto his cock.   
I push his hand away, letting go of his shaft with my other hand, stopping the stimulation completely.

"Stop it." I order him, pushing his hand down to the couch by his wrist. "I'll get to it."

He lets out a shaky breath as I take him back into my mouth again, bobbing my head and pumping the length that I can't reach with my hand.

"I"m gonna-" he clenches his jaw. "I'm close..."

Not teasing anymore, I continue, sucking harder and swirling my tongue around him, applying more than enough pressure so he can finish.

He suddenly groans, the noise on the verge of a shout, throwing his head back as he finishes in my mouth.   
Shocked, I stop all my movements and pull off his cock, coughing to try and clear my throat.

"Oh my God." Clay quickly realizes, reaching out and holding my face. "I'm so sorry! I should've pushed you off, I wasn't thinking!"

I cough a few more times, shaking my head to let him know I'll be fine.   
He frantically pulls his boxers and pants back up before rushing to the kitchen.

Clay comes back with a wet rag and a cup of water, handing the water to me.

I almost finish the drink, washing away the taste Clay had left in my mouth.   
"A warning would've been nice." I joke.

Seeing I'm fine, he sighs in relief. "I'm so sorry." he tilts my face up, using the rag to clean away whatever I couldn't keep in my mouth.

"I'm sorry I can't do anything for you." he apologizes, the two of us standing up.

I smile. "It's okay, I liked teasing you."

He blushes, huffing at the thought that I had been the one to mess him up this time.

He grabs my hand, walking with me to the front door. "Let's get going."

I stop as he walks out to the car, putting my shoes on and grabbing my bag before running out after him.

I get in the car after him, sitting down and instantly becoming nervous again. I bounce my leg, becoming quiet Clay begins to drive.

"What if they don't like me?" I blurt out after a few minutes of silence.

Clay furrows his brows, glancing at me for a moment. He reaches out and intertwines out fingers. "What are you talking about? Of course they'll like you."

"But what if I embarrassed myself in front of them like Nick and George were saying?"

"Or, what if you don't and you're worrying over nothing like Darryl was saying." he counters.

I sigh. "I just don't wanna mess up."

"I promise you won't." he laughs, squeezing my hand. "My mom and dad have been excited to meet you since you might've come up in conversation with my mom. My older sister Heather, yeah she doesn't really care, I'm pretty sure she's going along for the meal."

He pauses, thinking. "Now I'm not too sure about Drista. She might be a bit sassy, but that's just her so I wouldn't worry about it. And Henry goes along with what Drista does at first, but he'll get attached quickly."

"Drista already scares me." I comment. Clay had told me she's only fourteen but tends to act much older.

"She looks up to me, so she's a lot like me. That's probably why she'll be hard on you."

I look at him, grinning. "So she's protective over her old brother?"

He shrugs, nodding and smiling at the thought. "I guess she is."  
__________

"They should already be inside." Clay tells me, parking the car in front of the restaurant, the two of us getting out.

I grab my bag, Clay waiting for me to shut the door before he locks the car.

My nerves are not helping me at all right now, my heart racing as we step out of the crisp outside air and into the warmer restaurant atmosphere.

I link my hand with Clays as he talks with the hostess, asking to be taken to the table reserved for the Johnsons, Clay and his families last name.

The lady leads us through the restaurant and I see Clay perk up once he can spot his family. Ahead of us is a big table with five people already sitting at it, two open chairs pushed into the table.

A blonde woman, his is already standing up. Happily getting around the table and meeting up with the two of us as we reach the group.

She gives Clay a quick hug before suddenly turning to me, wrapping her arms around me. The hug is very unexpected to me but she seems like such a sweet woman, I give her a small hug back.

"It's been a little while Clay." his mom smiles warmly.

He laughs. "It's only been a little over a month."

She waves her hand. "That's too long to go without seeing my boy."

"Nicole, honey. Let them sit down." Clays dad, Jim, tells her.

She sighs, heading back to her seat beside her husband, across from our two empty chairs.   
Clay pulls my chair out for me, sitting down beside me.

"Hey guys." Clay smiles, looking at his siblings. Heather's to his right at the end of his table, Henry sitting beside me, and Drista beside him.

I sit with my hands in my lap, awkwardly listening as Clay now talks with his older sister, not having seen her in a longer time.

"So your Y/n?" Drista asks from the other side of Henry, gaining my attention.

I look at her, slowly nodding my head. "Yeah." I mumble.

She looks me up and down with a bored expression, slowly nodding her head before facing forward again.

I furrow my brows, mostly confused but a little- scared? Why did she look me up and down like that? Does she already not like me based on my looks, or do I just not fit the vibe she's thinking of?

"Drista, Henry." their dad scolds them, having heard what Drista had said and Henry went along with. "You need to be nice, or else your phone is gone," he points to Drista before pointing at Henry. "and your games are gone."

Henry immediately turns to me, grabbing onto my sleeve. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

I smile, patting his arm. "It's okay, your all good."

Drista's mouth drops open and she looks betrayed. "What?! I didn't even do anything!"

"Shh." her mom shushes her before turning to me. "So you're the Y/n Clay just wouldn't stop telling me about."

I blush, flattered and happy that Clay had talked about me with at least his mom. "Yeah, I'm glad you've heard about me before."

"Trust us, we all have." Heather laughs lightly. "Once Clay tells our mom, she was the one that went on about you to the rest of us."

This doesn't make me feel any more confident. Not knowing what they even said about me being the worst part, and apparently they all heard the same thing.

Nicole seems to notice my worry. "Oh it's been nothing but good things."

"Yeah, I wouldn't tell them of _all_ the times you've been mean to me." Clay smirks.

Drista sits up. "What did she do?" she asks, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Whoa, calm down Drista." the blond waves his hands. "I was just joking, she's been nothing but nice."

Drista slumps back in her seat. "Oh, alright, Good."

I smile at Clay, glad he thinks I'm nice. But I don't think I would be saying that. I'll always remember the argument I had with him, when I had shouted at him because he wouldn't show me his face.   
Not to defend myself, because I know it was hard for him, but it was also hard for me. Not even knowing what the guy that knew all my secrets looks like.

"So, Clay hadn't told me how you two met." his dad says, curiously looking at me, waiting for me to explain.

How do I tell him we met off Minecraft? And the only reason we got closer was because he found out about my abusive ex and drove hours to pick me up.

Nicole hits her husbands arm. "I told you what Clay said already."

He frowns, just now remembering what his wife had told him. "Right."

The rest of dinner goes by smoothly, everyone warming up to me. Henry was quick to become attached to me, just like Clay had said. And even Drista was becoming more comfortable and trusting in me, a bit quicker than Clay had said.

Now the seven of us are standing outside, having finished eating and paying.

"I'm glad we got to finally meet you Y/n." his mom says, hugging me for the second time tonight.

His dad shakes my hand. "Clay better not give you too much trouble, okay?"

I laugh, nodding my head. "He hasn't this whole time."

Suddenly, Henry's arms wrap around my waist, the little boy hugging me. "You're very pretty." he compliments. "I'm glad my big brother is with you."

A big smile spreads across my face as I return the small hug. "Thank you." I crouch down. "Clays got some big competition with you. From tonight, you might've become my favorite."

He grins, letting go before rushing to his parents side, everyone about ready to leave.

Drista stops in front of me before sighing. "You're good for my brother. Just don't mess up."

I'm honestly surprised, having gotten her approval. "I can promise you I like your older brother very much. I don't ever want to mess up."

She nods. "Good." she heads back to her parent too.

"I can't wait to do this again." Nicole smiles. "You two drive safe okay?" she gives Clay a quick kiss on the cheek, him and I waving goodbye before they head to their car, and we head to Clays.

"See, that wasn't bad at all." the blond comments once were in the car.

"Yeah, I was overly nervous." I agree. "But in my defense, Drista was pretty intimidating at first."

I get quiet while Clay pulls out of the parking lot.  
"Clay," I suddenly speak up.

He hums, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

"You're the best thing that's happened to me." I tell him, looking through the front window. "You've been there for me when I needed someone, so thank you."

He looks at me, curious as to where that came from. "Hey of course. I hadn't known at the time, but I love you, so of course I would be with you."

He grabs my hand, smiling as he intertwines our hands.

The rest of the drive is silent but comfortable, neither of us saying anything, just enjoying each other's company.

It's already around 7:30 when we get home, everything dark but the moon shining down, lighting the area up.

"We should watch a movie." I tell him as we walk up to the front door.

He agrees, smirking down at me as he unlocks the front door. "Wanna see who can get ready the fastest?"

"You're on pissbaby." I grin, breaking into a sprint.

I shove open the door, pushing past him in the doorway and sprinting up the stairs, Clay right behind me after slamming the door shut behind him.

I dart into my room, struggling to kick my shoes off while also pulling my shirt over my head.   
By the time I'm already in my comfortable clothes and running back downstairs, Clay is chilling on the couch.

He tries acting calm but I know he just got down stairs from the way he's trying to control his breathing. I also heard him run past my room just before I could open my door and sprint out ahead of him.

"Well, looks like I'm the winner." he says, his voice smug.

"By like, a second." I roll my eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he says, reaching up for me.

Sighing, I climb over his legs and sit on the couch beside him. Unsatisfied, he reaches up and pulls me down into his chest.

"You're such a big baby." I laugh, wrapping my arms around him.

He sticks his lip out, pouting. "You're not nice."

I reach up and poke his nose. "Why don't you just put a movie on?"

He does just that, scrolling through Netflix until he finds a good movie to put on.

Throughout the beginning of the movie, I see him constantly glancing at me, not even paying attention half the time.

I turn to him. "What?"

He stays silent, staring down at me before wordlessly cupping my face with one hand. His lips land on mine, this kiss much more heated than I would've expected.

With our lips still connected, he sits me up to straddle his waist.   
He pulls away from the kiss, both of us catching our breath before I lean back in, placing my lips on his again.

I feel his hands slide under my shirt to move up the sides of my body, the cold feeling startling me.

Gasping, I hold his wrists and pull away from our kiss, leaning our foreheads together. "Not tonight."

He breathes out, nodding and pulling his hands out from under my shirt. He gives my swollen lips one last peck before pulling me back down to lie on top of him.

We calm down without another word, getting back to the movie, but at this point I'm not even sure what it's about.

Halfway through, I fall asleep. Today was boring at first, but being nervous for those past couple hours really helped to tire me out.

And when I woke up, it was still dark out, the tv on screensaver mode being the only source of light I have.

I sit up, suddenly feeling like I'm missing something. Panic soon sets in as I realize Clay isn't lying below me. _He wouldn't go to bed without moving me at least._

I become frantic, swinging my legs off the couch and standing up, which is when I notice the piece of paper on the table.

Picking it up, I let out a sigh of relief, seeing Clays handwriting on the note.

_**I didn't want to wake you up with my talking so I left you asleep on the couch, I'm upstairs streaming with Nick and George** _

I smile at the heart he drew at the end, the proportions and shape all off, but he had the right idea.

I grab my phone off the coffee table, using the flashlight on there once I turn the tv off. I also get a glimpse at the time; 12:04 am. So I wasn't sleeping too long.

I shine my light into the kitchen, deciding to grab a water bottle before I head upstairs to watch him. If I'm quiet, I can hear Clay talking upstairs with George and Nick.

I spin around, shining the light around the house as I creep towards the stairs. Something feels off.

I stop my light at the front door, noticing it cracked open a bit. My eyes frantically dart around the room, before I quickly turn around, deciding it would be much safer to get Clay.

Before I can rush up the stairs and call out for the blond, a hand grasps my arm, yanking me towards them.

My eyes widen and I try to scream, only for it to be cut short when the person covers my mouth.

Chills run down my spine and I feel sick to my stomach as the intruder gets close to my ear from behind me.

"I knew I'd find you, bitch."

That voice. I know him. _Dylan._

My breathing picks up and I start to thrash in his arms, trying to get his grip on me to loosen. He starts pulling me backwards roughly, heading towards the door he left open.

I manage to clamp my teeth down on his hand, causing him to let go and shake his hand. Cursing from the pain.

Using this chance, I scream as loud as I can, calling Clays name.

Dylan grumbles, roughly putting his hand back over my mouth and yanking me out the door.

I try my best to pull my arms out of his grasp but he's too strong. He's always been too strong. I manage to get a few kicks in, knowing he's surprised and wasn't expecting it since I'm finally fighting back.

He gets me to the pathway leading up to the front door before Clay suddenly appears and rushes at him, connecting a solid punch with his jaw.

The two of us fall to the ground, the hold Dylan had on me loosening enough for me to get away.

"Fuck." Dylan grumbles, wiping the fresh blood from his cut lip.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" Clay spits, glaring down at Dylan with pure hatred.

I stare at both Clay and my ex with wide eyes, my heart pounding in fear. I look up at Clay in shock, never seeing this side of him, but I'm thankful it's there.

Dylan holds himself up with one arm, facing down as he spits on the concrete. Before Clay and I can do anything else, Dylan sweeps Clays leg out from under him, roughly bring the blond to the ground.

I rush at Dylan as he stands up, now being the one to tower over Clay. But before he can do anything, I'm already up, shoving my entire weight into him to get him unbalanced.

He retaliates quickly, pushing me down before he can fall. By the time he gains his composure, Clay is already up, attacking him again.

They fight for only another moment before Dylan lands a punch to Clays stomach, causing him to stumble back and double over.

Dylan takes this time to back away from the blond, grabbing my wrist and yanking me after him as he passes. I thrash in his grasp, trying to get back to Clay as I'm pulled into the street.

Turning around, I notice Dylan is pulling me towards his car across the street, planning on taking me.

Clay gathers himself again, somehow getting angrier than before. He quickly reaches the two of us again, stopping Dylan in the middle of the road.

They continue to throw punches at each other, Clay landing the majority of them.   
Dylan flinches at every punch, gaining bruises and cuts all over his face and arms.

When Dylan manages to punch Clay once, I step in, needing to get some type of revenge myself for everything he's put me through.

I give him and punch to the side before he turns on me, shoving me to the ground. The side of my head smacks against the asphalt, my vision immediately becoming blurry and my body growing nauseous.

I barely manage to stand up, my hand holding the warm and wet side of my head, the two boys figures blurring as I watch them, unable to think well enough to do anything else.

One figure suddenly stops, looking towards me before sprinting away, a slight limp in his run.

My head clears for a moment, the next few seconds happening too quick for me to completely understand until it's over.

My vision clears and I see Clay rushing towards me, his eyes darting from something on my left back to me. But I don't have enough time to look before he's shoving me backwards, and in a split moment there's a harsh impact that sends the both of us skidding across the street.

Everything's numb for less than a second, before a giant wave of pain washes over me, the main point being my left leg.

I clench my fists, smashing them against the asphalt and gasping. As the seconds pass the stabbing pain in my leg only seems to worsen. The light burning on my elbows and body seeming like nothing compared to this.

With tears streaming down my face, I sit myself up, pushing past the agonizing pain.

I look down at my knee, my eyes widening at the sight. It's red and swollen up to an abnormal size.

I force myself to look away, the image making me nauseous and on the verge of passing out, if the pain wasn't already making me feel that way.

When I look away, my eyes land on Clay, lying limp on his back just a few feet away.

"Clay." I worriedly call, holding back the sob that's on the verge of happening.

He doesn't respond, the only signal I get that he's alive is the faint rise and fall of his chest, but even that isn't relieving, the action too shallow.

I start to crawl across the ground even through the searing pain in my knee, getting to him the only thing on my mind.

Grunting and letting out a cry, I get myself next to him. My eyes widen and flicking across his body before landing on his stomach, his hoodie torn across his stomach to reveal a large and deep wound, reaching from his right hip up to just below his left ribs.  
The lime green material slowly turning red as the blood pours out, staining the hoodie.

"Clay-" I choke out, my hands shaking severely as they hover over his body, unsure what to do.

My breathing quickens and my chest tightens. Not wanting to waste anymore time, I pull my hoodie over my head and place it over the wound, my hands pressing down on the material, putting pressure to try and stop the bleeding.

He doesn't even flinch. I look down at my hands, not daring to pull them away even with the amount of blood coating them. "Oh God. For fucks sake, please Clay.."

I scan the rest of his body, noticing the gash on the side of his head, his blond hair that was covering it now sticking to the wound. His right arm is also swollen and turning different shades of sickly colors, from the sight of it, I can tell it's broken.

My tears drop down onto his hoodie as I beg him to say or do something, knowing I won't get a response.

I take one hand off the wound, frantically digging through Clays pockets. Luckily, he had his phone in his shorts pockets.

The screen is cracked, even with the protection it had in his pocket, but it still turns on.

I dial 911, my head growing dizzy again as the pain in my knee is registered in my head.

The operator picks up after seconds and I quickly tell them where I am, letting the woman on the line know what's happening as she sends an ambulance.

She keeps me from passing out, her questions hurting my head but also keeping me alert so I can answer and keep pressure on Clay's wound.

After the longest five minutes of my life, I hear the sirens and watch as the ambulance pulls up, people rushing out to help us.

The last thing I can remember is crying out for Clay as they separate us, just before I pass out, the sharp pain in my knee too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ima leave u guys on a cliffhanger for like a day bc thats fun, also, at least u won't have it for like a week like my wattpad readers,, the next chapters will be posted tmr night


	21. Hospital Time

_The last thing I can remember is crying out for Clay as they separate us, just before I pass out, the sharp pain in my knee too much._

____________________

My eyes flutter open, the dull pain in my head and knee causing me to wake up.

It's quiet, the only sound being a constant, rhythmic beeping coming from my left.

The room I'm in is dark, except for the warm, orange lighting that's coming from a lamp somewhere in the room.

Based off the ceiling alone, I know I'm in an unfamiliar room, the color not the white one I've grown accustomed to seeing when I wake up at home.

My entire body aches, the most prominent being a throbbing pain in my head and leg.

And the constant beeping doesn't help my head either, the noise annoying the shit out of me.

I lightly groan in frustration at the headache, trying to lift my left hand up to my head before something tugs my arm, slight pain suddenly shooting through it.

When I glance down, I see an IV attached to my forearm, medical tape keeping the needle that's in my arm in place.

_Okay, what the hell is going on? What happened-_

My heart suddenly drops as I remember what had happened last night. Some of it's still a bit confusing right now, but I remember the worst part almost clearly.

The car hit both of us, not even bothering to stop before speeding off. I don't know why though, maybe it was the fear that we weren't alive after their mess up that caused them to leave. It's still not justified.

After sitting up, I remember looking around and spotting Clays limp body a few feet away, lying on his back in the street.

There was so much blood, a coat of it covering my hands as I use my hoodie to try and stop his bleeding.

Oh God. There was so much of his blood on my hands. _Clay's_ blood staining my hands crimson.

My breathing quickens as I begin to panic, my breaths growing louder, almost to the point that if I continue, I'll hyperventilate.

I whine, squirming in my bed and, ignoring the IV, pull my hands into my vision. My eyes widen and I gasp, my breath catching in my throat for a moment before turning into deep ragged breaths.

My hands are coated in his bright red blood, the warm feeling of it making my stomach churn.

"G-Get it off!" I gasp out, sick with fear as I roughly rub and claw at my hands to get rid of the liquid staining them.

But it doesn't come off, like it's permanently stuck on my hands, not letting me forget what happened.

In a panic, I start scratching and rubbing my hands against the sheets more aggressively, my hands burning at the friction.

Suddenly, a pair of warm hands tightly but gently grasp both of my wrists, separating them. The moment they make contact with my skin, the blood vanishes. And instead is now replaced with deep and aggressive scratches, real blood dripping down my hand that's red and raw from the rubbing.

"Hey, hey, hey." A familiar, soothing voice says.

Still breathing heavily, I turn to my left, my e/c eyes meeting with Nick's dark brown ones as he sadly looks at me.

"It's okay. Everything is okay now." he repetitively assures me. "Calm down. You're safe, okay?"

My hands violently shake and my breathing stays labored, my body unable to calm down.

I flinch as another pair of hands gently touch my right arm, these colder ones belonging to George.

"Look here, just breath with me okay?" he waits until my attention is on him before he inhales then exhales, waiting for me to join him.

I anxiously nod, following along with him and taking deep relaxing breaths.

He continues with me before my breathing eventually becomes even and calm.

"See, you did it." he smiles, his expression proud, but the sadness behind it is somewhat noticeable.

I nod my head, looking back to Nick, my wrists still being held by him.

He looks down at our hands and notices the trails of blood trickling down my palms, meeting with his hands.

"Shoot." he mumbles, letting go and standing up. He walks to the door, stopping and turning around before he can leave. "I'm getting a nurse, so I'll be right back."

George nods his head before Nick exits the room, his quick footsteps audible as he rushes down the hall, the door soon slowly shutting, cutting of the sound of his steps.

It's silent in the room, the beeping seeming to start up again once it's quiet, even thought it's been going on this entire time.

I stare at my hands, blood somehow still dripping down onto my hospital gown. _Had I really scratched myself that bad?_

I was only trying to get his blood off, and in a way it had worked out. Wait, that wasn't real though. It was at some point, but not now. Not anymore.

"So, how're you feeling." George asks, breaking the silence.

My gaze stays on my hands. "Fucking horrible." I mutter, my voice raspy.

He nods in understanding, his eyes trailing down my bed. "I get it. You can't be feeling too good right about now."

I glance at him from the corner of my eye before following his gaze to my leg. I cringe as the sight of my left knee matches the pain I feel coming from that spot.

My left leg is elevated, pillows resting underneath the painful bend of my knee, which is covered by bandages and a brace. All I remember of my injury was how painful it was, the unrelenting feeling of my knee tearing.

Before either of us can say anything else, the door to my room opens again, Nick walking in followed by one of the nurses. The woman is in the normal hospital scrubs, her hair neatly pulled back into a low ponytail.

She stands beside my bed, digging around in a drawer and eventually pulling out gloves, bandages, and gauze before turning to me.

Nick, having moved to the other side of the bed to stand beside George, watches her closely with his arms crossed as she quickly cleans then wraps my hands up.

It only takes her a silent moment before she's finished. "There. It'll most likely sting for a little while." she tells me.

She glances from the two boys on my right then back to me. "It's good you're awake."

I furrow my brows. "What time is it?"

"Eight thirty." Nick answers before turning to the nurse. "What do we do when it turns ten and visiting hours are over?"

She sighs, grabbing a clipboard from the table beside my bed and reading over it. "It looks like she could be taken home, but not by you two."

The three of us look at her, confused.

"Who's supposed to take her home then?" George questions, getting a bit frustrated. "She doesn't know anyone else here that can care for her right now besides us two."

The nurse shakes her head. "I don't know what to tell you three. Because of the severity of the situation with you two patients, you were both signed off by a relative of Clay. Right here," she taps the paper with the cap of her pen. "her name is Nicole Johnson."

"That's Clay's mom." I say aloud, speaking to no one in particular.

"She hadn't told us she did that earlier when we got here." Nick says. "Everything was chaotic so I don't blame her."

The nurse nods, confirming what I had said is true, though the three of us already knew that. "All you two need to do is talk with Mrs. Johnson and gain permission from her to care for Y/n, then sign some paperwork."

Pushing her chair back, she stands up, seeming like she's in a rush to be somewhere else. "Well, I'll let the three of you talk. The two of you have been informed on both of the patients medical treatments, and you both know where to find your friend."

"Yeah, we'll probably go visit him again before hours are up." Nick nods with a sad expression, moving back to the other side of my bed to sit down.

"Make sure to use the wheelchair for her when you do go to visit, she can't be putting any pressure on her knee for awhile and shouldn't use the crutches for at least a couple days." The lady quickly says, standing in front of the open door as she talks. "And please call in the doctor before you leave, we'll need to tell you a few more things."

And with that, she steps out the door, letting it close behind her as she walks down the hall.

"What a bitch." I mumble once I know she's gone.

"Yeah," George agrees. "She was here earlier when I had got here. She wasn't any better then."

Nick chuckles, trying to lighten the mood. "It was even a hassle to get her to bring us here, let alone, Clays room..." he voice trails off towards the end.

I anxiously look down at my hands, my heart beating unevenly in my chest. "W-what happened with us?" I ask, my voice shaky and my throat tightening.

The two sigh simultaneously, Nick resting his elbows on my bed while running his hand through his hair. "Well, I don't know what you can remember of last night, but George and I both knew something was up when we heard something from Clays side of the call."

"I mean, we now know it was you shouting his name at first, then Clay sounded frantic and a second later, he was disconnected and everything was off." George adds. "He hadn't even said anything to us, but we knew something was wrong."

Nick nods. "The only thing we know from last night is that you two were attacked and hurt. The doctors didn't really go into the details about that stuff with us, but they did with Clay's mom, so she knows more than we do."

It becomes hard for me to speak, knowing that if I tried, I would break down. Just the thought of Clay currently hurting somewhere, breaks me. And I couldn't even be there for him.

Nick lets out a short laugh of disbelief, lightly shaking his head. "I had my bags thrown together and was already driving to the airport when someone called me off your phone."

I frown, swallowing back the lump in my throat to speak. "Who called you from my phone?"

Someone would've had to have gone into Clay's house to get my phone, which was probably left on the ground since I dropped it when Dylan grabbed me.

"It was the cops." he explains. "Since you called 911 and told them you were attacked, they sent police to Clays house to investigate and look around the area. They ended up finding your phone and surprisingly called me, most likely because they saw all the missed calls on your lock screen from me, George was trying to call Clay."

I nod, pushing past the constant headache and stabbing sensation in my knee.

I turn towards George who's hunched over the edge of my bed, his arms resting flat on the sheets and his head lying on his arms. "Do you know what happened when Clay and I got here? Do you know where he is?"

George shakes his head, letting out a sigh. "I remember a bit, but Nick could tell you about it better than I can. He was here a couple hours before me, so he was informed early on."

"You were obviously already out of surgery when I got here." Nick tells me, gaining my attention again. "You completely tore some major part in your knee, so they had to go in and fix it."

"Wise words from doctor Nicholas." George chuckles, making light of the heavy situation.

Nick playfully frowns at him. "Hey, I'm trying my best here. I can't remember the terms the doctor used, he's like a fucking genius and I play minecraft all day."

The brit looks up at me, his smile fading. "It was your meniscus. From what I was told, it's gonna be a rough month or so, the tear wasn't an easy one."

He rubs his face with his hands. "I don't wanna be the one to tell you all this, but it'll hurt to move it and straighten or bend it completely for a bit. You also need to be careful with your head, you got a pretty good gash on the side."

I stare blankly at him as my hand mindlessly goes to touch the wound on my head, my brain unsure of how to even process this information.

My eyes trail to my knee, a slight bend in it caused by the brace and the pillows resting underneath, giving me as much comfort as possible.

"They've been suggesting a wheelchair while your here then you'll get crutches before we take you back to Clay's house." Nick adds.

I frown at the thought of being pushed around in a wheelchair. Finding the fact that I can't even walk properly so I need someone to push me around, embarrassing.

I lightly shake my head, anything wrong with me unimportant in my eyes right now. The one that matters the most is Clay and if he's okay.

"Where's Clay? You said you visited him." I ask the two of them.

They share somber expressions before George speaks up. "He's on the next floor, we visited him a couple hours ago. His family was there so we didn't stay too long."

"But how is he?" I question quickly after. I pull myself up a bit more, wincing at the sharp pain shooting throughout my leg at the movement. "I need to go see him."

Nick puts his hand on my upper arm, gently pushing me back as I try to get up. "Y/n, there's something you need to know."

I stop moving, my attention on Nick. Dread washes over me as I see his gloomy expression, George wearing the same one.

"He got out of surgery earlier and is in the ICU." he looks down, his eyes glossing over and his voice wavering. "He's been unconscious, and they don't even know when he'll wake up."

I swallow the thump in my throat, my eyes brimming with tears.

His lip trembles, his voice uneven. "He's not doing good."

He quickly wipes his cheek, getting rid of the tear that had suddenly fallen.

My throat tightens and it becomes harder to breathe, short intakes of breath all I can manage. I clench my jaw, tears now racing down my cheeks.

I quickly wipe them away, new ones instantly replacing them. "I need to see him. I need to be there for him."

Nick nods in understanding. Him and George both stand up, the brit putting the wheelchair beside my bed while I sit up. Nick helps me, gently guiding me off the bed to sit back down in the chair.

It hurts, but if it's what I have to do to see Clay, then I have to do it.

The wheelchair is adjusted so my leg can sit somewhat comfortable, not too bent, but not out straight.

"George, you lead the way, you probably remember it better than I can." Nick tells him, moving behind me and grabbing the handles.

George nods, walking out of the room with the two of us following close behind.

The hospital is eerily silent, the only sound being Nick and Georges footsteps as we move down the hall. We pass a couple patient rooms on the way to the elevator, faint voices coming from a few of them.

I keep my head down, staring at my hands in my lap as they lightly shake. My emotions are all over the place, unable to decide on how to feel. It's all a mixture of sadness, anxiety, guilt, tiredness.

Nick and George stop and talk with one of the ICU nurses, but I don't pay any attention to them, my mind overwhelmed with horrifying thoughts of what'll happen with Clay, all because of me.

I only snap out of it once Nicks hand gently rests on my shoulder. "Y/n."

Looking back up, I see we're in front of a closed patient door, the nurse having come along and guided us to Clays room.

"You haven't said a word this whole time, are you gonna be okay with seeing him right now?" Nick cautiously asks.

I stare at the door in front of me, hesitating for only a second. "Honestly? Probably not, but I want to be with him."

I feel horrible and gross for having even a second of hesitation. It's Clay we're talking about, the boy I'm completely in love with.

It'll be just like those mornings when I wake up before him, not leaving the comfort of his arms and choosing to just silently watch him as he calmly rests.

Except this time, I don't know when I'll get to see his emerald eyes again. The sight won't be calming to me or anyone else in this room.

The nurse opens the door before stepping inside, the three of us following behind her.

The room is dark, maybe even a bit darker than mine. There's more machines, more tubes, and more space to sit. There's also the same beeping noise I had heard when I woke up earlier in my own room, now it's accompanied by other light machine noises.

No one else was in the dimly lit room, the silence paired with the light beeping, eerie.

My eyes finally land on Clay as he lies in the hospital bed, my heart breaking even more at the sight and the ache in my chest getting ten times worse.

How did everything even end up like this.

I clench my jaw, stopping myself from completely breaking down, for now at least.

Nick pushes me to one side of Clays bed before he joins George on the other side.

He looks peaceful as he lies unconscious, unbothered by anything for now. His blond hair messily falls over the bandage that's wrapped around his head.

I reach out and grab his hand that's lying on the bed beside him, the other wrapped in a cast and resting lightly on his chest.

"The doctors said it'd be best to talk with him, even if he can't respond." George tells me, his hands in his lap as he sadly stares at Clay.

I squeeze his hand tighter, hoping some part of him can tell what's going on while he sleeps.

"H-Hi, Love." I choke out, struggling to keep my voice steady.

I'm not sure what else to say, the room falling silent again. Even as I squeeze his hand slightly, his own stays limp in my grasp.

Nick clears his throat, filling the silence and talking to Clay. "I'm sure you recognized them, but your family came earlier. It became a bit too much in here so your dad took your siblings home for the night, not too long ago actually."

"You're moms still here though, she should be back any minute." George continues. "She's staying the night with the three of us at your place so she can be closer."

I can only listen as they talk, this information unknown to me, so I'm not sure what to say.

"You heard Y/n right?" George questions, propping his head against his hand, looking from Clay to me. "Tell him how big of a baby you are, Y/n."

He leans closer to the blond, lowering his voice. "Clay she's totally crying right now."

"Hey!" I snap, not too loud. "There's nothing wrong with crying, besides you've been crying this whole time too."

George stubbornly shakes his head. "Nope. Tearsnotfound."

"Dude," Nick mumbles, poking George's face. "your eyes are all red from crying, you can't lie your way out of this."

The brit huffs. "You're crying too!"

Nick nods. "I know, I'll admit that. Why would I hide the fact?"

As the two make joking comments back and forth to lighten the mood, I look over Clay. My eyes trail down to the worst memory from last night, the gash on his stomach.

His hospital gown is covering it at the moment, but I know it's there. The long wound that reached fromnear his right hip, to just below his left rib. I can also see the faint lines of the layers of bandages they put over the injury.

The only thing I can picture is the bloody mess I saw last night, his torn lime hoodie stained with red. My mind flips back to last night yet again, my hand gently trailing across the outline of the bandages, careful not to press down.

Someone suddenly clearing their throat from the doorway makes me jump, gaining all three of our attention.

I look to the door, the brighter lights from the hall behind the woman casting a shadow on her so it's hard to see who she is.

When she steps in the room, shutting the door behind her, her face becomes visible, even in the dimly lit room.

"Hello Mrs. Johnson." Nick and George politely greet in sync.

She sets a bag down on a small table beside the door, still carrying another bag in her other hand. She walks closer to us. "Hi boys."

Nicole holds out the bag for them. "I figured you two haven't eaten anything all day, I picked something up."

"Oh you didn't need to ma'am." George shakes his head.

"Please take it, you two have done so much for my boy, it's the least I could do." she insists.

Nick reaches out and accepts the bag of food, thanking her before turning to George, the two of them sharing its contents.

I keep my head down, messing with Clay's hand. I cant bring myself to face her, a huge wave of guilt washing over me.

_If it wasn't for me, her son wouldn't be hurt and unconscious in a hospital bed._

A chair is pulled up beside me, Nicole sitting in it and resting her elbow against the bed.

"Clay never described you as the silent type." she speaks up, her eyes focused on her son even though she's talking to me.

I let go of Clay's hand to bury my face in both my hands, ashamed of how I'm acting.

"I'm sorry." I say quietly, my voice shaky.

I flinch slightly as I feel her hand unexpectedly touch my arm, relaxing a second later.

"Why are you sorry?" she asks.

Getting even more emotional than I already was, I cry. "This is my fault. Clay's hurt and I'm the reason why. If he hadn't helped me, he wouldn't be like this."

Nicole listens quietly, Nick and George even slowing down their eating to hear us.

"I don't want you to think this is your fault, because it's not." she says sternly. "I don't know the background of how this happened yet, but I know you didn't have any control over this. Neither of you did."

I look up at her, my face wet from tears. "But if I-"

She interrupts me. "No. I don't want to hear any of it." reaching out, she wraps her arms around me, carful to avoid my leg with the way I'm sitting.

"You can tell me about this when or if you're comfortable."

I freeze for a moment before shakily reaching my hands up to return the comforting embrace. "I'm still so sorry."

"It's okay." she hushes me.

We stay that way for only a moment before I pull away, turning back to Clay and grabbing his left hand, finding this action the most comforting.

"How are you feeling?" Nicole asks me.

I sigh. "It all hurts, but I don't want to complain when he's like this."

"Mrs. Johnson was in your room while Clay was still in surgery." Nick comments, joining in the conversation. "She was here before me and she even stayed with you a few times after that."

"Nick, you can just call me Nicole." she says with a small smile. "Mrs. Johnson is a bit too much, don't you think?"

He nods, looking down. "Of course Mrs- I mean, Nicole."

She laughs lightly. "Speaking of which, I just came from your room. I thought you'd all still be in there, but it's better to see you three up here with him."

"We wouldn't want to be anywhere else." George smiles, before thinking about what he just said. "Well, we'd like to have everyone back at home, but in this circumstance, I'm just glad to be with everyone."

I reach up, brushing stray blond hairs away from Clays eyes. My hand stops on the bandage, following it across his head until I get to the left side of his head, some blood already seeping through the white bandage.

"He needed stitches there, and on his stomach." George tells me, the rest of them unable to look away from Clay.

"Luckily you only needed stitches after the surgery on your knee." Nick says, trying to look at the bright side.

But that only makes me feel worse. How could Clay be the one to get the brunt of it all, while I get off easier than him. Nicole told me not to say this, but it is my fault. Why couldn't I be the one to get it worse.

"It should've been me." I mumble, pulling my hand away from his head. "The car was going to hit just me anyways."

"We're lucky to have both of you with us right now. That's all that matters." George says.

"And from what you just told us, Clay knew the obvious risks before trying to get you out of the way." Nick backs him up.

I want to agree with them to help myself, but I know it's not right. I'll always feel the guilt, even if- no, not if- when. Even when he wakes up.

He'll get up.

There's a long moment of silence, the mood darkening again.

Nick wordlessly watches Clay, his hands covering his mouth as his elbows rest on the bed.

George keeps his head down and Nicole nervously bounces her foot, glancing around the room.

"When do you think he'll be up." I mumble, sliding my hand into Clays.

Nick rubs his face. "We don't know, the doctors can't even say."

There's more to be said about his condition, but no one wants to say it aloud. We all know anyways, I was told earlier that even after the surgery he isn't doing too good. Hence the reason he's still in the ICU.

The door opens once again, but this time no one can take their eyes off Clay.

"I hate to be the one to pull you all away from him, but visiting hours are over." a nurse announces. "The rest of you should head home and get some rest, I know we'll be seeing you all tomorrow."

After that, I turn to look at the woman. It's not the same bitchy nurse from my room, this lady has a nicer and more calming attitude, her voice soft.

Nick sighs, turning to Nicole. "You're the only one who can sign Y/n out of her room so we can take her home. We don't want her staying another night here."

Nicole stands up. "Okay, I'll go and do that first." she steps beside the top of Clay's bed, leaning over to lightly kiss his cheek. She walks away, glancing back once before heading out the door.

"We should... Uh, we should probably get going now." George says, pausing during his sentence to wipe his eyes again.

I shake my head stubbornly, squeezing Clays hand. "I don't wanna just leave him here alone, I cant."

George and Nick exchange a look, thinking the same thing but knowing we can't stay.

"We'll be back in the morning, as soon as we possibly can, I promise." Nick tells me, walking around the bed towards me.

"No." I cry. "What if he wakes up, and none of us are here with him?"

Nick stands in front of me while George is already at the door. "Y/n, we both know he won't, not tonight at least."

I look up at him, knowing he's right. Sniffing clear my nose and wiping more tears away, I reach up to Clay one last time for the night. Pulling myself up, I brush his blond locks away from his forehead before placing a light kiss there.

"Okay." I mumble in defeat and sitting back down, letting Nick know I'm ready.

He nods, moving behind me to push my wheelchair. We follow George up to the front desk where Nicole is waiting, having just finished paperwork.

"She's good to come home with us."

I tune the rest of their conversation out completely, my mind only thinking about Clay staying overnight by himself.

Is this how worried moms felt the first time their kid went to a sleepover? Minus the critical condition, the fact that the friends house is actually a hospital, and that there's no friend that can stay with him.

Before I know it, we're already outside the hospital, George standing behind me as Nick gets the car.

I'm helped into the backseat, and after many painful movements and shifts of my knee, I successfully get somewhat comfortable sitting long ways across the back row.

They shut the door, pausing outside to talk with Nicole, their voices inaudible to me.

Once Nick and George get in the car, they tell me she'll meet us at Clay's house and have everything ready to make it easier on me when we get there.

I nod in understanding, lying my aching head back against the door as Nick starts to drive.

_I can't believe this is happening, Clay doesn't deserve any of this._

Just as I feel myself beginning to fall asleep, we get to Clays house.

It's somewhat easier to get myself out of the car then it was to get in, Nick helping to hold me up.

Nicole is already waiting outside, the crutches the hospital gave me in her hands.

I use them to get into the house and to the guest room, Nicole having set that up for me since it's the only room downstairs.

Nick follows me closely the whole time, letting me rely and put my weight on him completely.

"Clay's mom is staying up in your room and George is in Clays." he tells me as he gently moves my left leg onto the bed propping pillows under it, then letting me do the rest. "I'll be on the couch just outside your room, please yell if you need me."

I nod, glancing down in shame. I don't want to bug any of them anymore than I already have.

Nick grabs my face in his hands, forcing me to look up at him. "Y/n, I'm serious, okay? That look tells me you think it'll annoy us, but it won't. Just shout, and I'll be here."

My lip trembles, fresh tears falling down my face yet again. Nick smiles down at me, wiping them away with his thumbs.

He pulls me into a tight embrace. "I'm just glad you're okay." he mumbles.

When he pulls away, he gives me one last look before walking to the door. I notice George and Nicole watching from outside the room, the two of them waving goodnight before Nick shuts the door a bit.

The sad smile on my face fades completely once everyone is out of sight. I lay back in bed, staring up at the ceiling, hoping the pain meds I took a bit ago will kick in real soon.

It's not an easy night for me, or anyone else in the house. I know Nick stays up on his phone for as long as possible, wanting me to fall asleep before him so he doesn't miss the moment I need him.

Soon enough, I manage to fall asleep. All the thoughts racing through my mind, tiring me out more than I already was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops , i forgot to update - anyways here’s the rest


	22. Starting Daily Visits

_Soon enough, I manage to fall asleep. All the thoughts racing through my mind, tiring me out more than I already was._

____________________

It was a long and uncomfortable night, I'd wake up at almost every sharp pain in my knee, groaning and finding it extremely hard to fall back asleep. Every time I did go back to sleep, I'd wake up again in about an hour.

I cant even remember the amount of times Nick came in the room, constantly checking up on me. Each time I caught him poking his head in, trying to be discreet, I'd tell him to get back to bed, not wanting him to lose anymore sleep over me.

There was a moment in the middle of the night I hesitantly called for him, wanting the bandage around my head taken off and needing his help to wrap my hands up again. The wounds on my palms were the second most annoying, the first being my knee, but every time I'd outstretched my hand or open it a certain way, the wounds would open back up.

The bandage around my hands would need to be changed out the most often, which sucks because it's pretty much the only spot I can't wrap myself. The wounds on my palms are also extremely annoying when using my crutches, that causing them to reopen too.

It's currently still pitch black in the room, way too early in the morning for anyone to be awake. Yet here I am, staring up at the ceiling, unable to shut my eyes and rest again.

The meds I took before going to bed a couple hours ago have already worn off, the pain just as persistent and tiring.

I had thought the pain was bad with the meds, now without them it's ten times worse.

I glance to my right, making a weak attempt to grab my phone from the bedside table without moving my knee in the slightest. I stretch my arm out as much as I can, but I'm still unable to reach.

Great. I don't know what time it is, I can't fall back asleep to ignore the pain, the position I'm in is extremely uncomfortable, no one else is up, and I can't even go on my phone as a distraction.

Sighing in defeat, I glance around the room.

_I know it's just the guest room, but Clay should really decorate this place more._

The only things occupying the entire room is the bed with a table beside it, a dresser and a small tv on top of that.

I spend about twenty minutes silently placing and moving things around in my head, adding more decor to the bland room.

It feels nice and relaxing, the whole display so clear to me, like I can really see all the changes I did. I actually manage to smile in this little world I have pictured around me.

But as soon as the door to the room cracks open a bit more, everything vanishes, all my plans and thoughts disappearing.

When I look to the door that's now pushed open a bit further, I don't see anyone, finding it odd especially since I definitely know the door opened.

Unless I'm actually somehow going insane, I'd rank that as a possibility.

I almost shout when a figure jumps up onto the bed, quickly creeping towards me and meowing. I was startled enough to flinch, immediately relaxing once I realize it's just Patches.

She stands right beside my face, staring down at me for a moment before butting her head against my cheek, craving the attention.

"Hey Patches." I whisper, my voice rough.

I reach my hand up to scratch the back of her head. She instantly pushes backwards into my hand, a low purr coming from her.

Patches nudges against my arm, soon lying down between the left side of my body and my extended arm, closing her eyes and enjoying the way I continue to scratch her.

"I'm glad you find it so easy to fall asleep." I mumble, having nothing better to do than watch her.

The room begins to brighten, the sun rising on the other side of the curtains.

I begin to get bored again, impatiently waiting for someone to wake up. Even though everyone told me not to hesitate or feel bad about waking them up, I can't bring myself to do it. They had a very stressful and tiring day yesterday too, I don't need to take their much needed sleep away with my problems.

But as the time goes by, I get more anxious, not wanting to be late for when visiting hours start at the hospital.

I'm only lying there a couple more minutes before I can't take anymore waiting.

_Clay could wake up at anytime, and we need to make sure we're there._

I groan, sitting up in bed frowning in discomfort as I move slightly.

Patches gets up too, annoyed with the fact that I had gotten up and disturbed her. She walks to the end of the bed before jumping down then leaving the room.

I ignore her, glancing from the small stack of my clothes on top of the dresser to the bathroom door in my room then down to my knee.

_It's okay. You got this, just get yourself out of bed, grab the crutches and some sweats, then go change in the bathroom._

I give myself a pep talk before rubbing my hands together. I swing my right leg off the bed first before taking a deep breath, sliding my hands underneath my leg below and above my knee.

Even the slightest movement sends pain all up my leg, my knee feeling like it's being repetitively stabbed.

Simply giving up and lying back down is looking pretty tempting at the moment. I could stop before I go too far, but there's no way I'll do that. This is something I need to do for myself.

Gritting my teeth and hissing through clenched teeth, I manage to get my left leg off the bed and stand up on my right, wobbling a bit as I put all my weight on my good foot.

I reach out and snatch the crutches that we're leaning against the bedside table, putting them under my armpits as comfortably as possible.

Every time I move, the pain intensifies, but I'm already this far so I don't wanna go back now.

Pushing past the feeling, I make my way across the room as cautiously and quietly as possible, snatching the sweats off the dresser before reaching the shut bathroom door.

_Who the fuck shut this all the way?_

When I lift my arm to grab the handle, one crutch slips and falls to the ground, causing me to stumble on one foot. The door swings forward, the other crutch dropping to the floor along with my sweats as I use my other hand to reach out and stop myself from falling.

I grab onto the doorframe with one hand, my other still on the, now open door's, doorknob.

My eyes are scrunched closed, tears falling down my cheeks from the intense pain. I pant, my heart racing after the commotion.

There was too much noise for someone to not wake up and check on me.

And just like I thought, I hear a set of footsteps already at the door.

"Y/n?!" Nicks voice worriedly asks.

My back is turned to him so I can't see his expression, but I can hear the panic in his voice.

He quickly makes his way from the door to my hunched figure as I still tightly grasp the doorframe and doorknob.

"What are you doing?!" he questions, putting his hand on my back and grabbing one of my arms. "Why are you even out of bed?"

I look down in shame. "Isn't it obvious?" I mumble, not wanting to make eye contact with him.

It takes him a moment but once he sees my sweats on the floor, he realizes what I was trying to do, his face heating up. "I-I'm sorry Y/n. Uh- just wait on the bed while I go get Nicole."

"No!" I snap, pulling back as he tries to take me to sit down on the bed.

He freezes, not letting go of me, only loosening his grip on my arm.

Tears run down my face, dropping to the ground. "I just- I want to do this by myself. I cant get help for such a simple task like changing."

Nick sighs, running his hand through his hair, not finding it easy to see me hurting like this. "Y/n, please. This accident happened just yesterday, you shouldn't even be up out of bed right now." he keeps his voice soft. "But I need you to understand that you can't push yourself back into things so quickly. You need time to rest and heal, and while you do that, George, Nicole and I are here to help."

I stay quiet, my breathing uneven.

He calmly reaches out and touches my back again. "Please let us help you for now. We want to help, and also, Clay would literally kill us if he found out we didn't do something- not that we wouldn't not help, I just thought I'd add that.. to be funny." his voice dies off towards the end, thinking this probably wasn't the best time for a joke.

But I can't help the small laugh that passes my lips, shaking my head as I decide he's right.

I shouldn't be pushing myself to do everything on my own so soon, even walking with crutches is difficult right now.

I need to just reach out and take the helping hand everyone is holding out for me. No matter how stubborn I want to be about it.

It's just... a helping hand is something I'm not completely used to yet. That paired with the fact that I would rather have everyone helping Clay, not me.

"Y/n?" George suddenly asks from the bedroom doorway, a concerned look on his face as he looks around, understanding what happened. "Are you okay? Why are you out of bed?"

Nick gives George a look that lets him know I already got a talk about it from the younger boy.

Nodding his head, George makes his way across the room, letting me use him as a support while Nick let's go.

"I'll get Nicole." he says, quickly leaving the room, his footsteps audible as he jogs up the stairs.

George pushes the bathroom door open all the way and guides me inside, sitting me down on the closed toilet. He looks down at me. "How's your knee?"

"Hurts a lot." I mumble, rubbing my face with my hands. "I hate that I can't even do something for myself."

"I know, but it's better for you to just let us help." he sighs, taking a seat on the floor. "We don't want you hurting yourself any further."

I nod, clenching my hands. "I know, but Clay-"

He cuts me off. "Clay is safe in the hospital. It hurts that he's not here with us right now, but there, he's getting the best care he can get. The professionals know what to do at all times, so he's being cared for one hundred percent of the time."

"But when he comes back here," I say, keeping my voice as steady as possible. "he's the main priority, okay? I'll handle myself then, the rest of your focus has to be on him."

George shakes his head. "I can't completely promise that, Y/n."

"Look, I'll be fine!" I exclaim, raising my voice momentarily before calming myself back down. "I'll be able to do stuff on my own again soon, so you won't have to worry about me, okay?"

I keep my voice as soft and assuring as it could be, wanting him to know that I'll be fine soon enough.

George doesn't get the chance to respond before Nicole and Nick are are in the room.

The two boys leave the room and I get another talking to from Nicole about needing to be careful and to ask for help, the same stuff I just got from Nick and George.

Shes only just met me a day ago, yet she's so kind towards me, maybe the fact that Clay has talked about me so often to her helps out too.

It makes me feel accepted by her, knowing she doesn't think badly of me.

But that doesn't make this situation any less embarrassing for me.

It takes a couple moments, but soon enough I'm using my crutches to walk out to the living room in my comfortable pair of sweats, no longer wearing the shitty hospital clothes I was given.

Nicole follows me out, walking past me to go to the kitchen where Nick is, George sitting on the couch on his phone.

Deciding to join the Brit on the couch, I make my way towards him, setting my crutches down before slowly and carefully sitting beside him.

The look on his face as he scrolls through his phone tells me somethings up- beside the obvious situation.

I lean towards him, our shoulders bumping together as I look at his phone. "What's wrong?"

He tilts the phone towards me a bit. "It's Twitter, they've been going crazy since yesterday."

Nick is suddenly leaning against the back of the couch, his arms crossed as he looks at George's phone between the two of us. "We need to handle it soon before it gets out of control. We can't have any bad rumors going around."

I frown, still not piecing everything together. "Handle what? Who's been going crazy?" I question, glancing back at Nick.

"It's mostly Clay's fans because he has a much larger account, but it's a lot of everyone's." George sighs, nudging me to show something new he just pulled up on his phone. "They got this trending quick yesterday."

I narrow my eyes, reading the trending topic.

**Is Dream Okay?**

The description below pretty much sums it up.

_Fans worry about popular streamer Dream after something happens in the background of his stream, everything cutting off seconds after a females voice was heard calling out for Dream._

"A clip from the last minute of his stream is going around." George continues, clicking on the topic and pulling up everyone's tweets. He finds the video that's going around.

It starts off at a random point at the end of the stream, all three of the boys laughing at something Nick did on the Smp.

You can notice Clay quiet down a bit before my voice suddenly rings out. It's muffled from the distance and the door being closed, but you can tell it's my distressed voice calling out for Clay.

In the next couple seconds, the stream cuts off, Clay not saying a word, not even to his friends.

"People don't know what happened, but some of the rumors aren't too good." Nick reaches out and scrolls through Georges phone before stopping on a tweet and reading it aloud. "Dream needs to stop doing these small "slip ups" for the clout. He obviously set this up so we'll make a big deal over it. Looks like he got what he wanted."

I scrunch my face in disgust, finding it sickening that people can do casually say that. They don't know it yet, but it's a very serious problem right now.

"How does it have so many likes and retweets? Why do so many people agree?"

"They don't know anything." George spits. "They want to find something wrong with him, so they make this shit up."

Nick sighs sadly. "And the fact that so many people believe and agree with that comment. It hurts to think that that's our viewers, people who watch a lot of our content."

The three of us quiet down, George turning off his phone to give us a break.

There's noise in the kitchen before Nicole suddenly calls out for us, walking into the living room and setting three plates of food on the coffee table.

We all quietly thank her, Nick jumping over the back of the couch as we all grab our plates and begin to eat. I hadn't even noticed Clay's mom had started making food, too caught up in the newest Twitter drama about Dream.

Nicole grabs a plate for herself before joining us in the living room. "What are you three going to do about those rumors? I really don't want Clay waking up to so much stress and drama, that could mess up his recovery."

"Well, if it was okay with you Mrs. Johnson, we were planning to give out just a bit of information about the situation." Nick says, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

George cuts in. "Nick and I talked about it a bit after seeing everything going on and decided it would be better they knew just the bare minimum amount of information. It would be better too because Clay would be waking up to loads more caring messages from his fans."

She frowns, thinking it over more. "What if he doesn't want that?"

The room gets quiet again, nobody having thought about that. The two boys just decided what would be best, not what he would want us to do.

I make up my mind, knowing Clay would want us to do this. The circumstance may be somewhat different, but I remember when I first moved here after that final incident with Dylan.

It was what started our first argument. He had wanted me to let everyone know I was okay, my viewers were worried and he knew the best solution for me was to let them know just a little bit.

"Clay would want us to do this. I know that." I answer, my voice sure and confident. "He likes his privacy, but he doesn't like worrying all the people who care for him."

He helped me do this once before, now I need to help him.

Nicole looks unsure, but the moment she looks up at me and sees how confident I feel, her expression changes.

She nods. "I'll let you three handle it however you think is best for him. I know you all care for him."

Nick smiles warmly. "Thank you Nicole. We promise to fix all of this before he wakes up."

"I know you will." she smiles gently.

I finish my food rather quickly, not having eaten anything in about a day.

Already feeling tired, I close my eyes and lay my head back and wait for the others to finish eating.

I hadn't even realized I fell asleep, but someone gently nudging me causes me to wake up.

It's Nick, standing up in front of me with his hand outstretched, a couple pills on his palm and a cup of water in his other hand. "Here, take some before we leave."

Just the thought of needing to take my pills causes me to remember the pain in my knee. I let Nick drop the tablets into my hand, taking them one by one until there aren't any more left.

"Was I asleep?" I tiredly ask.

He nods, bending down to grab my crutches. "Yeah, but only for like fifteen minutes. We let you rest while the rest of us got ready to go."

My eyes widen, completely forgetting about the time visiting hours begin at the hospital. "What time is it? Are we late?"

Nick shakes his head, helping me up off the couch. "No, we'll get there on time. You woke up early this morning and got us all up and ready."

A small smile makes its way onto my lips. "Good, I didn't want us being late so I had to do something."

"You didn't have to scare us though." George sighs, walking down the stairs.

I nervously laugh. "Yeah, we'll that wasn't my plan either."

"As long as you don't do anything reckless like that again, we'll be fine."

Nodding, I make my way to the front door. "I guess I promise."

George reached out in front of me, grabbing the door handle. "And stop opening doors, you'll fall again."

"But I didn't fall earlier."

The brit walks out, raising his brows. "You were pretty damn close."

I frown, rolling my eyes. "Whatever."

George waits at the car, leaning against it while I wait inside.

Nicole walks out first, Nick putting his hand on my back to gently guide me out while he turns and shuts the door, making sure to lock it.

Clays mom drives us, George getting the passenger seat while I sit in the back with Nick, having to sit sideways across the seats and put my legs on his lap.

It's an uncomfortable drive for me, but that's expected.

The drive to the hospital was pretty annoying, Nick constantly asking me questions like if I was uncomfortable or if it hurt when he moved my leg a bit.

He seemed stressed out enough, so instead of honestly telling him I wanted him to get his hands off me and stop moving my leg because it hurt, I sucked it up and shook my head. Mentioning that it got uncomfortable a few times, hoping he'd get the hint that it hurt.

After managing to get out of the car, I'm back on my crutches, the four of us walking through the hospital towards the elevators, already knowing the way.

We take the elevator up to the third level where Clay is, stopping at the floors front desk to check ourselves in.

The lady at the desk reads who we're here to see, smiling gently. "It's good to see you all back so early, your friend would be very grateful."

She seems to quickly remember who we are, having worked last night when we left. "Miss, you really shouldn't be constantly using crutches, I know you had surgery only yesterday. Let me grab you a wheelchair."

"No." I mumble. "I'll be fine without one, the room isn't much further anyways."

Pausing, she gives me a questioning look.

I also notice Nick glance sideways at me, giving me a look that's similar to the one a parent would give their child when making them apologize for something wrong they've done.

I sigh in defeat, keeping my eyes lowered. "But it would be very helpful to have the wheelchair for if I need to get around later on,"

Taking a peek up at Nick, I watch him nod, accepting of my answer.

"I'm glad to hear that." the woman nods, disappearing for a moment before returning with the wheelchair.

George takes the handles, the chair empty since I didn't see the point of sitting in it for such a short walk. That and the fact that I just don't want to.

On the way to Clay's room, the nurse follows us, updating everyone on his condition and any changes that happened last night.

So far he's been doing well, but they're still unable to promise a good recovery and if he'll wake up.

The nurse being the first one into his room, makes her way across the floor towards the curtains, throwing them open to allow more natural light into the room.

I slowly make my way in, my eyes scanning the room for a second before becoming glued to the still sleeping blond.

Clenching my jaw and groaning from the pain, I sit myself down in a chair beside Clays bed, Nick and Nicole going to the other side while George joins me on Clay's left side.

Everyone's silent again as the nurse finishes up checking in on him, looking at the monitors and his IV to make sure all of it is still in correctly.

We all look composed and calm while the lady looks around, but the moment she leaves the room, everyone begins crying again, silent tears running down our cheeks.

Am I going to cry every time I visit him? The headache it gives me hurts.

But that physical pain can't compete with the deep aching and twisting I feel in my chest whenever I look at Clay in his current state.

He should be back at his house, laughing with his friends over a Discord call while messing around on their Minecraft world. Not lying unconscious for who knows how long, in a hospital's ICU.

It's not fair to him.

"Hey, Clay."

"Hey, buddy."

George and Nick say in sync, sad smiles on both their faces.

The younger boy keeps quiet while the older speaks. "You don't think you can shake us off that easily right? We'll stay here the whole time."

"Yeah, you just get your beauty sleep man, you've always needed some." Nick jokes.

I smile, silently listening to the two boys continue on while watching Clay.

Sliding my bandaged hand onto his rougher one, I intertwine our fingers, the action calm and soothing. Even if I can't feel the warmth of his palm against mine, or the tight grip I normally receive from him, the fact that I can see him and hold his hand is reassuring.

"Why don't you talk to him, Y/n?" George questions, the attention of all three going to me.

"Clay would love to hear your voice." his mom sweetly adds on.

I frown, tightening my grip on the blond's hand. Why do I find it so difficult to talk to him?

The rest of them can go on about random topics, talking to him like he can and will respond.

The reality of it is he can't. He can't say anything back, and the chances that he can even hear us are slim to none. What's the point in breaking myself even more by talking in a one sided conversation with the man that would normally have so much to say back. The witty, funny, sassy responses won't come now. I don't even get to hear his voice, or his laugh, and it hurts.

I hastily wipe away the warm tears flowing down my cheeks, the lump in my throat making it difficult to breathe or say anything.

I inhale sharply, my stomach tightening. "Because what's the point if he can't even hear us? I want to say something, I really do. But every time I hear one of you speak to him, and there's no response back, I break a bit more."

Nick and George exchange worried glances, my words lowering the mood further than it already was.

I pull my hand away from Clay's to cover my face, shame for saying and thinking such things shown all over, as it should be.

Without even noticing George get up, he's already by my side with the wheelchair, guiding me to sit in it before he takes me out of the room.

I quiet myself as he walks down the hall, stopping in a quiet and empty area.

He sits in a chair, shifting it to face me and gently grabbing my hands. "Y/n, I know it's hard. For years all I've known has been his voice, and now all of a sudden I get to see him, but not hear him."

I sniff, rubbing my nose while listening to him.

"It's difficult for all of us, but it's the hardest on him. So even if there's a slight chance that he can hear us, we need to talk to him." his hands tighten around my fingers, causing me to wince slightly. "Imagine not being able to see or move your body and the only thing you can do is listen, but nobody is there to talk. That's why we need to speak to him."

I nod in understanding, now embarrassed by my slight outburst back in Clay's room. "You're right. I need to do it for him."

No more selfish thinking, I have to include the fact that he might actually be able to hear us.

There's suddenly a set of footsteps echoing through the hallway. Looking up, I see Nick walking towards us, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets.

Without a word, he plops into the chair next to George, sighing.

"Why aren't you in there with him?" George asks, confused.

Nick lays his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. "I was letting his mom have time alone with him, you know, family stuff."

The three of us stay silent, the only sounds that can be heard are the inaudible voices coming from other hospital rooms and light footsteps as a few people walk through the halls.

It's not busy yet, too early in the morning for tons of people to be visiting.

"What are we gonna say on Twitter?" I ask, keeping my head lowered.

George puts his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. "Just something quick to let them know it's serious, we can't say too much, obviously."

Nick pulls his phone out of his pocket. "We should just get this over with, I don't wanna stress about it for too long."

He shifts to rest his elbows on his knees, holding his phone in front of him.

George and I watch him as he clicks to add a tweet.

"I'll tweet it, all you two should do is retweet it to get it across all our accounts." he tells us, typing.

"Shouldn't we think of what to say first?" I question. It can't be a good idea to just write something up on the spot.

While Nick types, George answers me. "We talked about this yesterday, so we've had what to write pretty much planned out."

"Oh." is all I can say, wishing I could've been a part of that conversation. I guess I'll have to find out what they decided on once the tweet goes out.

It takes another moment before he finishes, waiting for us to get onto Twitter first before he posts it.

George hands me my phone, having made sure to grab it for me before we left Clay's house.

We both sign onto Twitter, Nick posting the tweet.

After the two of us retweet it, it's only a matter of seconds before people begin seeing it.

**@ sapnap**

we want to keep this brief, but also clear up any false rumors. no, this is not a trick pulled by dream, it's a very serious situation. George, Bonez, Dream and I will all be taking a break from streaming and youtube.

|

the only information that we'll be sharing about the situation is that both Dream and Bonez went through a bad accident and have been hurt. please respect all our privacy and stop with false rumors. we'll be back to our usual selves soon, thank you guys <3

"What I wrote will have to do for now, we couldn't think of much else." Nick mumbles, turning his phone off and letting Twitter do its own thing.

I shake my head. "Don't worry about it, that was good."

After about ten more minutes we head back to Clays room, everyone finding random things to talk about. I don't talk as much as the two boys, but like George told me to do, I let Clay know I'm there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos / comments are nice


	23. 99 Problems and Drista is like 96 of Them

_After about ten more minutes we head back to Clays room, everyone finding random things to talk about. I don't talk as much as the two boys, but like George told me to do, I let Clay know I'm there._

____________________

**Clay's pov~**

Its crazy how everything can change in only moments, mere seconds can turn everything in your life completely upside down.

You never know when your last meal could be, last talk with your family or friends, last time to do the thing you love will be. Because nothing lasts.

It's like that saying, nothing lasts when you're having fun- wait no. _That's not how it goes._

 _What was it again? Oh-_ time flies when you're having fun. That wasn't really what I was going for, but it could work.

My point was, things can quickly change, either for the better, or for the worse. Not everyone can be lucky, even someone with perfect luck.

I guess I would call myself that person. The lucky guy in my own example. I've got tons going for me, I'm constantly happy.

I'm a quick growing Youtuber, a popular streamer, I've got tons of great friends, a happy family, my own home, and an amazing girlfriend.

I'm incredibly lucky to say I have all those things.

But like I said, that lucky streak has got to end at some point, no one is _that_ lucky.

It just happened so quick, one moment I could see everything clearly, the next.. Everything was dark.

I could still hear, the only sound for a long moment was a loud ringing in my ears. I could also still feel everything. With all the pain, I knew something was extremely wrong, but I couldn't open my eyes to check. I couldn't even move my body.

I wish I could've cried. I _wanted_ to burst into tears and just scream.

My stomach was burning, excruciating pain across the entire area.

That pain in my stomach was also teaming up with the same feeling in my right arm and head, all three areas wanting to take me down.

I laid there on the ground for what felt like hours, but was only a few seconds.

I hoped I would just die and get all the pain over with, not wanting to go through more of this.

But then I heard her.

She was sobbing, I knew that much without having to see her. I could barely hear her voice as she spoke, only a few desperate words getting through to me, but they made no sense without the whole sentence.

I felt a pressure on my stomach, pressing down on it. The feeling made me want to scream, puke, cry. I couldn't take it.

I passed out- again. But the first time, I wasn't really out. I just couldn't open my eyes, move, or speak.

Completely passing out was a blessing. I felt nothing anymore, I couldn't even hear either.

My mind wakes up again, I cant move, see, feel, but I can hear. I don't know how much time has passed since that day, so it's impossible to keep track of how long I'm out for.

The times I can hear, it's voices I recognize as my family then friends. They're there constantly. Most of the time their voices are muffled, sounding like my head is underwater while they talk above me, but on rare occasions their voices are clear.

Those are the moments I enjoy the most. Getting to listen to the people closest to me talk is the only time I can be happy, even if I can't see or talk with them.

It hurts though. I want to speak with them, comfort them when I know they're crying. But I can't do anything, not even let them know I can hear what they say.

They all sound so broken, their voices when telling a story not the same as usual.

I hate that I'm doing this to them.

My mom, dad, siblings, Y/n, Nick, George. Everyone is hurting because of me, and I can't be there for them.

I want to talk with them and tell them I'm okay. Nothing hurts anymore so they don't have to worry.

My mind suddenly wakes up, noises filling my ears, voices that belong to my friends. Their voices cut off sometimes but I still hear parts of what they say.

" _He hasn't moved a bit._ "

George. That was definitely George, his tone sounding disappointed.

" _-did say it would... he wakes up._ "

That sentence didn't make much sense to me, but I know that was Nick.

_What are they talking about? Me right?_

I hate not knowing. My hearing keeps cutting in and out, not allowing me to piece together what's happening.

" _It's been too long, I miss him._ "

Y/n. She sounds so broken, her voice low and shaky.

_How long has it even been?_

It hasn't felt too long, maybe just a day, but I could never say for sure.

" _It's been difficult without him._ " George mumbles.

" _And Twitter hasn't... the four of us... he would know what to do._ "Y/n replies.

" _Oh, Y/n... does it still hurt bad? -Just tell..._ " Nick talks to Y/n.

_Fuck not now._ I begin to hear less and less of their conversation, meaning I'll be passing out again.

I can't right now, I want to hear about them more. I need to know how Y/n is _really_ doing.

She responds with a simple, " _It's fine._ "

" _You'd... okay, right?_ " George says.

All their voices grow fainter, my head feeling like it's being pushed underwater again. No matter how bad I want to struggle against it, I can't do anything except let it just happen.

**Y/n's pov~**

"Of course I'd tell you guys if anything was wrong." I tell Nick and George. "I thought you guys would've realized that by now, it's been a few days."

George nods his head, glancing from me to Clay. "It just feels better to check in and make sure."

"Aw, George cares." Nick says sarcastically.

The Brit crosses his arms. "Why'd you say it like that? 'Course I care."

"I said it like that because you like to act like you're some big macho emotionless man." Nick chuckles, resting his elbow on Clay's bed and putting his head in his hand. "When you're really just a big baby."

"What?!" George exclaims, his mouth hanging open in offense. "I'm not a big baby!"

Nick sighs, mumbling. "Then quit whining like one."

I begin to tune out their bickering, looking to Clay. His face looks as peaceful as it's always been, like nothing is wrong.

It's been _five_ days since the accident, Clay hasn't opened his eyes, shifted, or made a sound the entire time. The only sign he's even alive is the shallow rise and fall of his chest and the constant beeping of the monitor beside his bed.

It's just the three of us in his room for now, Nicole having gone to get food before Clay's other family members visit again.

They had all visited him the very first day, but on the three out of five days they came, not being able to come Thursday or yesterday, only one family member was missing.

Drista had absolutely refused to come to the hospital, not wanting to see Clay in the state he's in. And I understand that, it's her older brother who she looks up to, it has to be extremely hard on her.

From what I heard, when she hears her dad say they're leaving, she locks herself in her room. If I were her, I just might do that too, at least until he wakes up.

I sigh, reaching my hand up and brushing the stray blond hairs away from his closed eyes, running my fingers through his hair to keep it back and out of his face.

The nurses had to change the bandage around his head often, but now the bleeding from the gash doesn't seep through the white material, the stitches doing their job.

Tilting my head to the side, I look at the spot on the side of his head where the injury is, lightly running my thumb over the spot.

It's not a pleasant thought, but I wonder if he can feel everything. I hope he can't. Feeling all that pain but not being able to express it must be so frustrating and tiring.

He doesn't show any discomfort on his face though, so I'm hoping that means he can't feel any of it.

"Y/n?" George says, repeating himself since I hadn't heard him the first time.

I snap out of my thoughts, turning my attention towards him. "Huh?"

"Nicole wants to know what you want from McDonalds? She wants to get back before the others get here." he tells me, looking down at his phone.

"Oh, uh just the four pack of chicken nuggets, please." I answer.

I haven't been eating as much recently, and I doubt I'll be eating more than two nuggets.

George furrows his brows, looking up at me. "The four pack? I don't think that's enough."

"Yeah, you need more Y/n." Nick adds, concern shown across his face. "You haven't been eating enough lately, we don't want you becoming weak from not eating."

Before I could tell them I'll be okay, George cuts me off. "Ima get you the ten-"

I open my mouth to quickly protest. Why spend the money when I won't eat all that?

"I'm getting you the ten piece." George cuts in again. "You don't have to eat it all now, but I would hope you'll get to it eventually."

Sighing in defeat, I nod. He'll text Nicole the ten piece no matter what I say so I won't continue arguing.

Nick leans his face against his hand, looking at me from across the bed. "How come you haven't been eating as much? It makes us worry."

I frown, fidgeting my fingers. "I dunno. Maybe it's just the stress and worry from all this. It's hard doing normal things when I know Clay can't do the same right now."

"I get that." he nods, side glancing at George as he stares at his phone before looking back to me. "But you can't neglect yourself. He can do stuff when he wakes up, so it's not that bad."

I shake my head. "We all know that's not true. It may seem like it can't get worse than this, but it will the moment he wakes up. Right now, it doesn't seem like he's in constant pain so it's better for him, but the moment he wakes up, he'll be in pain. A lot of it."

"Yeah." George agrees, having put his phone down to join the conversation. "You're right, it's gonna be hard and we'll have to be watching him around the clock, especially when we bring him home."

"Hopefully that'll be soon." Nick sighs sadly, looking at his unconscious friend. "I miss hanging out with him."

I nod in agreement, lying my head against Clay's legs. Mindlessly intertwining my fingers with his, messing with them as my eyes trail from his resting face to my phone on the bedside table, stacked on top of Nicks.

The two of us had frustratedly turned off all our phone notifications, some negative comments popping up even when Twitter notifications were off.

I don't understand how George hasn't turned them off yet, his account is bigger than both mine and Nicks so he must be getting more notifications. He was even scrolling through his feed earlier.

The room has gotten awfully quiet, like it often does, none of us knowing what to say. Something to lighten the mood would be the best, Clay wouldn't want us to constantly be down.

"Everything's still the same on Twitter." George mumbles. "There are still a few who think the four of us are doing all this for the attention."

I don't know what I was thinking would lighten the mood, but that definitely wasn't it.

"You should really stay off Twitter, George." Nick mutters. "I can tell you're getting upset by what they're saying."

George frowns, throwing his arms up. "Why wouldn't I be?!"

"Hey," I sternly warn, sitting up and holding my hands out. "You-"

"You guys know it's being talked about!" George continues, cutting me off. Tears begin to brim in his eyes, visible to me from across the bed. "There are people talking shit about us- about him!"

He points at Clay, though his eyes stay focused on me, those tears now spilling down his face. "Even if I turn my notifications off, it'll be there and it'll continue! I cant say anything, but I can't just ignore that it's even happening!"

"George-" Nick tries to get a word in, reaching out for him.

The oldest boy pulls away from his hand. "How are you guys so calm about this?! How are you both not as angry as I am?! They're not respecting any of us and they make jokes about you and Clay! These are people that-"

"I get it okay!" I shout, stopping his rambling. I hadn't wanted to even raise my voice, so I quickly lower it. "Let's just not get worked up about this, especially in here with him."

I motion with my head towards Clay, not wanting him to hear this stuff if he is able to listen.

George huffs, glaring at me then Nick, upset we want to just turn a blind eye to this, especially for now. "Whatever." he grumbles, sitting up before storming out of the room.

"George, wait." I attempt to quickly grab my crutches, planning to follow him to talk it out, but Nick stops me.

He shakes his head. "Just let him have his space. He'll cool off."

I hesitate before nodding my head, leaning my crutches back against the bed.

"We're all getting frustrated, George just has a harder time hiding that right now." Nick says. "But he still shouldn't have gone off like that in here."

I frown. "What if Clay can hear us and heard everything George just said?"

Nick shrugs, rubbing his face. "I don't know. I guess we'll figure out if or when we get there. We're telling him everything eventually anyways."

"Well obviously. He's gonna find out even if we don't bring it up, so it'll be better for us to be the ones to tell him."

"Exactly." Nick agrees. "We'll let George cool off then talk about that."

After about ten minutes, George comes back in, wordlessly taking a seat in his chair.

Nick and I exchange glances before looking at George, his head hanging down.

Surprisingly, George is the one to break the silence, his voice low. "I'm sorry guys."

He finally looks up at me then Nick. His eyes are red and a bit puffy, but he's not crying anymore.

"I overreacted and shouted, which I shouldn't have done. Especially in front of Clay while he's like this."

Nick puts his hand on Georges shoulder. "Don't worry about it, we get why you're upset, the two of us are too."

"I just don't get how you two can cover it up so well."

"We're all different, wether were able to hide it or not." I say, trying to make him feel better. "Nothings wrong with being unable to completely hide your emotions, it's a good trait to have."

He sighs. "I guess."

Nick opens his mouth to speak, probably to talk about what him and I went over while George was gone, but the sound of the Brits phone going off stops him.

All our eyes go to Georges phone, the screen now lighting up.

The younger boy closes his mouth as George reaches for the device, picking it up and reading whatever notification popped up.

I would've protested him checking his phone, but I don't want to bring that argument back up again.

"Oh, Darryl's here." George says, standing up again.

"Wait, since when was Darryl even coming?" Nick asks, voicing both of our confusion.

George typed something on his phone. "I texted him the hospital we're at yesterday, he wants to visit since he's pretty close."

"He knows Clay's family is gonna be here later though, right?"

He nods, setting his phone down. "Yeah, I'll be back, Ima go get him."

"Wait!" I exclaim, surprising even myself.

The Brit stops and turns around as I scramble to grab my crutches. Nick quickly getting up and around the bed, helping me up from my seat.

Standing comfortably with the crutches, I walk towards the door. "Can I go?"

George frowns. "Uh, why don't you just stay here and rest-"

"Please." I say, almost begging. "It's been easier to use the crutches and my knee doesn't hurt as bad."

He turns around, heading for the door. "Yeah, but I know it still hurts, so no."

I don't go sit back down, instead I follow him. I've been sitting all day for the past five days, I need to get up and do something or else I'll go insane. Whenever I'm here, I'm sitting in the chair beside Clay's bed, and whenever I'm back at home, I sit on the couch or lay in the guest bed to rest.

"Y/n, what are you doing?" George sighs, stopping in the hallway. "Keep Nick and Clay company."

I pass him, going down the hall. "How about you go do that, I'll get Darryl."

Glancing over my shoulder, I see him standing in front of the door to Clays room. I can tell he wants to protest, but he holds it back, sighing in defeat before heading back into the room.

I breathe out a sigh of relief, glad I'll get this time to move around a bit.

Thankfully I remember the way to the elevator, the path to it isn't too confusing, just a couple lefts and rights.

Luckily there wasn't anyone else waiting to get into the elevator, or already in it when I enter.

When I get to the first floor, the doors open and I make my way past the three people waiting to get in, none of them cheery.

As the elevator doors shut, I turn left down the hallway, making out into the main lobby.

There's a few sick patients waiting around, their injuries not as extreme, so there's no need to rush them away.

Looking around, I spot Darryl sitting on his phone in a chair furthest away from everyone else. He looks very uncomfortable, occasionally glancing around and grimacing as someone a good thirty feet away from him coughs.

Grinning, I laugh to myself, making my way towards him.

The sound of my crutches approaching him gets his attention. He looks up from his phone, visibly sighing in relief at the sight of me.

I smile, slightly lifting my hand from my crutch to manage a small wave.

He quickly gets up, meeting me the rest of the way before pulling me into a gentle hug.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself over there." I joke sarcastically as he lets go.

Laughing nervously, he glances around again. "Sorry, I just do not like hospitals. There's too many sick and injured people."

I nod, motioning for him to follow me as I make my way towards the front doors. "How long were you waiting?"

He thinks for a moment. "Only a couple minutes."

"Well," I stop, turning to him. "I needed some air, but if you want I could bring you up to Clay's room first."

Shaking his head, he gestures for me to keep going. "It's alright, I'll walk with you."

"Thank you." I smile, the two of us making our way outside.

The air feels cooler, a slight breeze blowing against my skin. This feeling is nice, the air crisp out here unlike the stuffy air inside.

Darryl stays silent, following along behind me, letting me relax. The questions will come later, but for now the silence is too calming to break.

After a few minutes my mind snaps back to reality, and it's suddenly not as nice as the false reality I just had in my head.

"George is gonna be worried." I mumble, turning back towards the during door. "We should get up there."

"Whenever you're ready." he looks like he has more to say, but he holds it back, putting his phone away in his back pocket.

We make our way back inside, through the lobby, up the elevator.

"How are you feeling?" he asks while we wait in the elevator.

I shrug. "Fine. George probably told you about me over text."

He nods. "Yeah, he did. I just wanted to ask for myself. He told me it's rough for you right now."

Unable to hold it back, I scoff. "Yeah well, I have no right to complain because if Clay wakes up, then he'll have it twenty times worse than me."

"If?" Darryl questions.

_Oh God. Did he not know about that part? How could I let that slip?_

Searching for the right words, I nervously mess with the handles of my crutches.

Suddenly, the elevator doors open, saving me from having that conversation right then.

I walk out, leaving Darryl to follow behind me, confused.

Stopping in front of the door to Clay's room, I turn around and speak before Darryl can question me again. "Uh, George told you about his condition right?"

"The majority of it, yes." he nods, dropping the topic from before. At least for now.

"Alright." I sigh, the door clicking open.

There's hushed voices talking that stop the moment I open the door, both Nick and George turning their heads in our direction.

I lead Darryl in, his eyes glued to Clays unconscious figure the second he steps in.

He slowly walks to the end of the bed, the rest of us watching him from our seats beside the bed.

Darryl's mouth hangs open, seemingly unable to find the right words. There's sadness in his eyes, but no tears.

"H-How long has it been again?" he chokes out.

"About five days." Nick answers. "He hasn't moved at all, not an inch."

Darryl nods, swallowing back his next words.

I change the subject momentarily. "Sorry we took awhile. I wanted-"

"It's alright, I know." George stops me. "I texted Darryl once you two didn't come back and he told me the two of you went out for fresh air."

I smile lightly, turning to Darryl. "Told you he'd worry."

But he didn't react, just absentmindedly sat in the chair Nick pulled up for him.

There's an awkward silence, this reaction from Darryl unexpected by the rest of us. I sounds a bit rude but I always took him for the emotional type, not the type of person that hides their emotions like this.

"And they don't know how long this will last?" he speaks up.

I shake my head, my throat tightening at the thought of my next words. "They're unsure about him waking up or not."

He turns to me. "N-No he's gotta wake up. That doesn't make sense, right?"

George shakes his head. "It's a possibility he'll stay like this."

He's right, we've all known that there's a chance he'll stay this way. But I keep that thought hidden at the back of my mind, pushing it away every time it tries to creep back up. I'm sure the others do this too, unable to let their minds think that way.

I cant focus on that, it's better to think about the fact that he could wake up, even if the chances of both outcomes are the same.

Darryl finally manages to take his eyes off Clay's figure, looking down at his hands in his lap. "So, how did this happen?"

I look to George, silently questioning why he didn't tell Darryl the entire situation.

George shakes his head, verbally answering my unspoken question. "It wasn't my place to explain, I haven't even heard the whole thing myself."

"Whose is it then?" Darryl cautiously asks.

Nick and George turn to me, Darryl doing the same after seeing them look at me.

I sigh. "Look, uh-"

"I'm back." Nicole suddenly calls from the door, opening it and walking into the room with a few food bags.

Before any of us can say anything, Nick is already up and helping her by grabbing bags.

She glances around the room, sighing in relief. "Thank goodness they aren't here yet. There was surprisingly a lot of traffic."

Noticing the new person in the room, she smiles and greets him before introducing herself. "I'm Nicole, Clays mom."

Darryl greets her too, telling her his name. "Sorry for intruding Miss, I know you're family will be here soon, I'll make sure to give you space then."

"Thank you." she smiles, taking a seat beside me. "But you're not intruding, George already asked me if you could come and visit today."

I turn to George. "Always keeping people updated huh?"

He laughs. "I like to have some type of control in this situation."

"Good on you dude." Nick praises, slapping his hand onto the Brits shoulder. "I'm glad you're the one keeping up to date with everything. My mind is going a million miles a minute at the moment, I couldn't handle it."

George nervously laughs, glancing at Nick. "It's helpful to me anyways, we all have our own ways of dealing with it."

"You're right about that."

We barely talk for a few minutes, taking this time to eat the food Nicole had brought. The three of us combined some of our food so Darryl can join us instead of just watching.

Once everyone finishes their food, we keep our conversation quiet. The hushed voices better to use around Clay.

After twenty minutes, there's a knock on the door before it opens swiftly, Clay's dad stepping into the room.

He's followed by, Henry, Heather, and lastly Drista.

It's surprising to see Clay's little sister since she had practically vowed not to come while he's unconscious.

They all wear the same sad expressions, each getting worse once they see Clay still sleeping.

Drista doesn't even look up, keeping her eyes glued to the floor, her lime green high top converse with a small smile on the side looking more interesting to her.

George and Nick suddenly stand up, Darryl copying them.

"We'll give you all time alone with each other." Nick mumbles, walking around the bed to help me up while the other two make their way to the door. "Let's go Y/n."

I grab my crutches, accepting his outstretched hand before he pulls me up.

"Y/n?" the quiet voice comes from in front of me.

Heather steps to the side, my eyes meeting with Dristas as she finally looks up.

Her eyebrows furrow and angry tears run down her face. "Why is she here?!"

Everyone turns their attention to the young girl whose now breathing heavily, anger shown with every small movement she makes.

"Drista!" her mom scolds, trying to shush her daughter.

"Why is she here?!" Drista repeats, stressing every word.

I'm taken back, unsure of what to say to her. How do I even respond?

Heather crouches beside her sister, gently grabbing her arm. "She means a lot to Clay. She has a right to be here."

"She doesn't!" Drista exclaims. "Mom told me what happened before she left in a hurry that night! Her old boyfriend came and attacked both of them!"

She rips her arm out of her sisters grasp, taking angry steps towards me. Shes small but damn shes scary as fuck, I must be the most unlucky person to have her mad at me.

"Whoa!" Nick jumps as she tries to push him out of her way, wanting to get to me.

_Jesus- she's going to kill me. Is she about to throw hands right here? Right now? I'd definitely get my ass kicked._

Nick stays in place in front of me, blocking her from scratching or hitting me while her dad jumps in and grabs her, easily holding her back.

"Drista, you need to calm down!" he warns, pulling her away. "She didn't want any of this either, she had no control of the situation."

By now, Drista is sobbing, her attempts to get to me getting weaker as she begins to give in.

"I don't care. I don't care. She caused this." she mumbles, burring her face in her dads shoulder.

Everyone stays silent except for Dristas sniffling, the commotion leaving all of us speechless. No one was expecting this, never a slight thought that she'd be this angry with me going through my head.

Her dad holds her close, consoling her and trying to get her to calm down.

It works for the most part, but the young girl still has words left to say to me.

She looks up at me, wiping her eyes then nose. "I won't forgive you. Ever."

Those words send chills down my spine, my chest tightening. It may seem like a childish thing to say, especially with the current circumstances, but I don't think I'll forget those words. Just like she won't ever forgive me, I won't ever forget that.

She put so much meaning behind those words, so many feelings. And the way she looked at me- the way she _glared_ at me.

This relationship won't be easy to fix, but I need to try. So why not start right now.

"I'm sorry." I apologize, knowing shes right in a way.

I hadn't wanted this to happen at all, I had no control over what Dylan did. But she's right, if I hadn't met Clay and if he hadn't helped me, he'd be okay right now.

"You're right. If I was never in the picture, Clay wouldn't have to go through all this, and none of you would feel this way either." I admit, accepting that no matter the way you look at it, I was the reason for this. Unintentionally or not, without me everyone would be fine.

Drista's glare softens slightly, it's almost unnoticeable if you weren't staring right at her as she did it.

"So I'm sorry." I repeat. "I love your brother, I only want the very best for him and if I could trade positions with him I'd do it in a heartbeat."

The young girl pulls away from her dad, pushing away anyone that tries to place a comforting hand on her.

Nick hesitantly steps out of the way as Drista walks towards me, all eyes on her.

I'm almost positive she's about to punch and cuss me out, but she doesn't.

"No matter how bad I want to, I won't do anything- but only because Clay loves you." she stares up at me, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

I nod, understanding completely. Her hands clench into tight fists, her knuckles turning white before she calms down.

Drista turns to her mom and dad. "I told you I didn't want to come here."

"We know but-" Nicole is cut off by a soft groaning coming from behind me.

I turn around, my heartbeat picking up and my breath quickening.

Clay's face scrunches up in pain, his eyes still closed but he's moving and making noises.

Tears well up in my eyes as his own slowly open, the dim lighting making it easier for him.

There's tears in his eyes as well, but I'm sure it's from the pain. His chest heaves as he cries and he instantly flinches from the agony it causes.

In an instant, everyone is around his bed. It probably isn't the best to have everyone in his space, but no one's going to back away.

With a shaky hand, I grab his and squeeze it tightly.

I can't help the slight laugh of relief that comes when I feel his hand weakly squeeze back.

Letting the tears flow freely down my face, I pull his hand up to my face, placing a light kiss on his knuckles before looking up at him again.

His breathing is labored as he scrunches up his face in pain once again, more tears streaming down when he squeezes his eyes shut tightly.

But the moment he opens them again, he looks directly at me, his bright green eyes locking with my e/c ones.

I notice he tries to squeeze my hand tighter, but he can't yet, his body too weak to do anything.

"Clay." I sob, tears of joy running down my face.

The smallest of smiles tugs at the very ends of his lips once he sees and hears me. "Y/n.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the most recent chapter i’ve updated , pls don’t tell me to update it ,, it’ll come when i finish it


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